No Different Than Before
by giraffeduelist
Summary: After the first in Kamino, All Might begins to notice himself change for the worse. What caused this change and how can he stop it from consuming him?
1. Chapter 1

"Are you alright, Toshinori?"

Toshinori sat up in the passenger seat of his best -and only- friend's small car. Really, did no one make cars with tall people in mind? He had to crouch to avoid hitting his head on the roof, which made his neck and back ache more than they already did. "Why wouldn't I be?" he knew Naomasa hated when he answered in question, but it was a genuine response.

"You keep rubbing at your chest. Are you having a hard time breathing?"

He was really too observant for his own good. Or, maybe for Toshinori's good. With a soft -and hopefully casual- chuckle, Toshinori brushed off the concern with a hand wave. He really didn't feel up to joking around, not after interacting with All For One.

Naomasa was right in a way. He had been having trouble breathing, but it only started after...what exactly had happened, anyway? He had been talking to All For One when the lights flickered and the guns to the side of the villain started beeping. It only lasted a few seconds, but Toshinori knew he had managed to use some kind of quirk. Likely his teleportation quirk, as a desperate choice in escape, but he could always chew on it later.

The burning returned to his heart in a new wave and he rubbed at it subconsciously. He could hear Naomasa sigh beside him. "Seriously, Toshinori. I know you hate it, but if your chest is really bothering you, you should get it checked out. At least go to Recovery Girl."

Recovery Girl was likely the last person he would want to tell about this, knowing how mad she'd get that he'd pushed it off. "Yeah, I can do that." Both of them knew full well he wouldn't.

Once outside the UA gates, Toshinori climbed out of the car and gave his friend a small wave before fleeing. He didn't want to answer anymore questions, especially from him. He just needed a chance to recharge. The new dorm system for the teachers and students wouldn't allow him the kind of rest he needed, but then again, he wasn't sure he could get that much rest without going into a coma. It wasn't funny, but Toshinori chuckled to himself anyway.

The students were already back from their license exam, lounging in the dorm like a pack of sleepy cats. Aizawa would like that metaphor. Actually, he'd probably hate it, simply because Toshinori was the one who thought of it. Figures.

"Hey, All Might!" Young Izuku called, which gathered everyone else's attention.

Young Sero jumped off of his place on the couch, holding an ice pack to both his elbows. It made Toshinori bother proud and concerned. "Hey, All Might. Why are you wearing your hero suit?"

"Yeah." Added Young Kaminari. "Didn't you retire? It's pretty big."

Now, Toshinori knew his students were simply trying to show their concern, or maybe their curiosity. There was no shame in asking, and really, Toshinori was almost glad they felt comfortable enough to ask. It beat the awkward silence the other teachers gave him, but he still couldn't help feeling irritated. "So you've noticed." He tried not to wince at the sarcasm and hoped to everything good that neither student caught on it.

Thankfully, they didn't. Or they ignored it. "You want some cupcakes? Sato made some to celebrate us getting our licenses. Well, everyone but Todoroki and Bakugou."

A loud yell came from somewhere else on the couch. "SHUT UP! I'LL KILL YOU!"

"Dude, how are you not too tired to yell?" Young Kirishima responded in the most tired tone Toshinori had ever heard the energetic boy use.

"DIE!" He yelled back, and Toshinori left before he had to start babysitting. He really wasn't in the mood. He didn't miss Izuku's concerned look before he let the elevator door shut the world away from him.

Finally, finally, Toshinori made it to his room. He threw off his boots as soon as the door clicked shut and the suit followed soon after. He changed into a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt. He should've felt happy, relieved to be comfortable and alone, but he only felt more irritated. It wasn't necessarily from being around his students, but everything that dared to exist around him. His unmade bed annoyed him, the suit he had just changed out of mocked him, his too small couch laughed in his face and his messy kitchen made him want to scream. Everything was in his way. Everything felt wrong and he couldn't do anything to fix it but take a deep breath and try to sleep the anger away. This is what he gets for trying to socialize after dealing with All For One.

At Toshinori slowly made his way to his bedside, his little toe connected with his nightstand and he nearly screamed every curse word he knew in both English and Japanese. He had to kneel to keep the pain at bay. It wasn't the worst pain he'd experienced, but it was almost too much for his weak body. He could feel his leg cramp under the strain of keeping his body above the ground, his chest squeezing again at the sudden spike of adrenaline.

He let a single cuss slip as he stood up and slowly crawled into bed. His blanket tangled around his ankles and he nearly ripped the stupid thing before it laid out nicely. He curled up, knees tucked to his chest and took long, deep breathes. Thankfully, he had taken a stronger medicine for his coughing before visiting Tartarus, otherwise he would be suffering from a huge coughing fit. He really didn't keep a coughing fit right now.

As sleep started to take over, he felt that irritation slip away with his consciousness. He could apologize to Young Sero and Kaminari later. For now, he was too tired and selfish to really care.

Toshinori woke up exactly one hour later, just as annoyed as before, but this time, he had to deal with loud teenagers as well. It was past 10:00 but the screaming and yelling obviously belonged to Young Bakugou. Toshinori was about ready to kill someone.

He stood up too fast and had to fall back onto his bed to keep from collapsing. He waited there, listening to the yelling -he could feel his head throb with each word- until the white spots disappeared enough for him to stand up again. Once up, he trudged out of his bedroom and into the hall. The elevator opened before he could get to it, a nervous looking Aoyama standing there.

"All Might-sensei! Pardonne-moi, but Bakugou-"

Toshinori didn't care enough to acknowledge him, stepping into the elevator and tractically punching the ground floor button, which made his student flinch. The ride up was dead silent. A part of him felt bad for scaring the poor boy, but he was really too tired to deal with this. Maybe, if he had stayed in his room, Aizawa would've been the one getting woken up to defuse a stupid situation.

Once the door opened, Toshinori marched out and saw exactly what he expected. Young Bakugou was screaming at the top of his -young and very healthy- lungs, Kirishima trying to pull him back and Young Iida swiping the air with his arms, adding to the ruckus. Ashido was laughing on the floor and seemed to be the one who caused the entire affair.

"What the he-" He stopped himself before he said something he'd regret. "What's going on? You do realize how late it is, right?" He was almost proud of how everyone stopped to look at him. He could still command a crawl.

Everyone started talking at once, which made the throbbing worse. He turned to Aoyama, who still stood next to him, and asked again. "What happened?"

"Ashido put sugar in the salt shaker." He squealed out. Toshinori let out a long sigh and ran his hand down his face. He was really getting too old.

"Alright." He started, gathering everyone's attention again. "Bakugou, Ashido," he pointed to each individual. "You two are coming with me. Iida, make sure everyone else goes to bed quietly."

He pulled Aoyama with him as a third opinion, the other two following behind. To his relief, Mina had stopped finding the situation funny and Bakugou didn't seem seconds away from letting off more explosions either. He led the three students into the furthest corner of the room, taking a quick glance back to confirm Iida had followed his instructions. Now, he just had to dish out a bit of discipline and go back to bed. Not too hard, right? "First, I want to know why it was a good idea to switch the sugar and salt." he glanced at Young Ashido, who seemed to cower beneath him. Was he subconsciously glaring again? Izuku mentioned that he did that often in his true form.

"I...I wanted to prank Sero…" She whispered.

"Did we not make it clear that pranks were heavily discouraged for this reason specifically?"

"Yes...Sensei."

"And on top of that, you wasted a lot of salt and sugar for this little prank, not to mention whoever's food that ended up on."

"I'm sorry, Sensei." He could barely hear her by that point.

He knew he was being too harsh. Her prank really was innocent enough. He was just tired, so he let it go for the time being. "Go clean out the salt shaker and whatever mess you made, then go straight to bed."

She practically flew away from the situation, slight tears pooling at the corner of her eyes. Toshinori shifted his gaze to Bakugou before the boy could start yelling again. "Why were you yelling?" It really was obvious, but he wanted to hear it from Bakugou.

"She ruined my food! I made a full pot of rice curry and she ruined it!"

Toshinori wasn't sure what to do now. He could send Bakugou off like he did Mina, but it wouldn't have the same effect. Punishing him wouldn't do any good either, he knew. So, he chose the middle ground. "When do you typically go to bed, Bakugou?" He purposely avoided the 'Young' prefix to emphasize his point.

"8:30."

"You're almost two hours past your usual bedtime-"

"Don't say it like that! I'm not a toddler!"

He decided to ignore that outburst. "Are you tired?"

The teen took a while to respond. "Yeah."

"Then go to bed. I don't care if someone ruined your dinner and sometimes, heroes have to pick their battles. Is this really worth your time screaming about sugar, just to perform worse tomorrow morning?" When Bakugou didn't respond, he leaned back and crossed his arms. "Get some sleep, Young Bakugou. You won't be getting any extra help if you fall asleep in class."

Thankfully, the boy left without saying anything. Toshinori thanked Aoyama for getting him, even though he really wasn't. After Iida and reported that everyone was at least in their rooms, Toshinori waved the boy off and went back to the elevator. He really needed his sleep.

For a moment, Toshinori wondered if this was how Aizawa felt all the time. Irritated, tired and so, so done. It would make sense why he hated All Might so much. He was kind of loud, at least for someone with a headache.

Once Toshinori made it back to his bed, he tried to get back to sleep, but it never came. He didn't have any more sleeping pills, so he was stuck tossing and turning until the sun went up. He was in no mood to get up and teach, but this was all he had let. If he didn't do his one job, then how could he help the next generation of heroes? A small, dark voice inside his mind told him to not care. They wouldn't make it anyway.

Toshinori stood up and began getting ready for the day, but that one thought scared him. It would haunt him for days.

Author's notes: Half way through writing this, I noticed that I was using Mina's first name instead of her last name, so if I missed her name anywhere, either tell me or ignore it. Other than that, enjoy this wonderful story that I will definitely be excited to continue!


	2. Chapter 2

Class went a bit worse than he had hoped. Young Ashido was still too shaken to answer any of his questions and Young Bakugou was obviously tired. A few of the other students gave him concerned looks, which fueled a new wave of frustration. He let out a relieved sigh when the class ended, each student packing up and finally leaving. Once sitting at his desk, he started organizing the papers he would have to grade. A full stack. Really, he only had himself to blame, but that didn't make the experience any more fun.

"All Might?"

Toshinori looked up to find Izuku standing in front of him. He was the only one left in the room. "What do you need, My boy?" A part of him hoped it wasn't for clarification on his lesson or any other kind of help. The thought made him feel sick and so much more tired.

"Um, I was just wondering how you've been. You seem kind of…" Izuku visibly struggled to get the words out. "mad? Sorry if I'm completely miss reading the situation or if it's offensive! I was just kind of curious, you know! Usually you don't-"

"Midoriya, I'm fine." He tried to put on his best All Might smile, but it came out as a wince. "It's just a bit hectic around here. That's all. Now go get to class. You can't use the 'I was talking to All Might' excuse everyday, you know." He really had to start working on his tone.

"Oh, Yeah! Right!" Izuku started running out the door. He peeked his head back into the classroom a few seconds later to give a thumbs up and his own hero smile before leaving again. The sentiment made him feel a bit better.

...

By the time his classes were over for the day, Toshinori's chest felt like it was on fire. By this point, he was slightly worried about dying, so he went to Recovery Girl instead of eating one of his small meals. It felt like a trip of shame, walking all the way over to the infirmary. He knew that he'd get whacked for not telling her sooner, but what did she expect of him? To tell her about every ache? Every little thing that hurt, because if that were the case, he would never stop talking to her. He hurt every second of every day. Every step ached and every movement sent a course of needles through his bones. Sometimes, it hurt too much to sleep or eat, so did Recovery Girl really expect him to depend on her so heavily?

"What is it now?" Were her first words the moment he showed his face into her office. This was going to be a rough trip.

"What, no greeting?" He joked, but it sounded more sarcastic. Was he slowly turning into Aizawa? He really hoped not. It wasn't something against his coworker, he just didn't want to have the man's reputation. He'd like to be known for his bright smiles and funny jokes, over expelling an entire class and being too harsh.

Thankfully, Recovery Girl ignored it. "Sit down and I'll take a look at you."

Toshinori did just that, not caring to move the blanket laid across the too small bed. He didn't care enough to lay down either. This was just a quick visit. She would check his chest, tell him his heart was failing him as well, like it had always been, give him some pain medications and blood thinners and send him away. Why did he decide to come here again?

"What hurts? More than usual, anyway." He was almost glad for her bluntness. She didn't try to treat him like a broken toy. She got straight to the facts.

"My chest burns, but it's less like heartburn and more like overuse." She would understand what he meant.

She gave a soft hum before gathering a few instruments. First, she checked his heart beat. Telling from her widened eyes, he had already messed up. "Well…" She said, slowly leaning away from him. "That's odd."

"What?" He asked, a pang of impatience slipping into his subconscious.

"It sounds healthy. The healthiest I've heard your heart in a while, in fact." She started feeling around his thin chest, pressing on certain parts and along his spine. "When did the burning start?" She asked, her grouchy-old-lady tone gone.

"A bit after my visit to Tartarus. Naomasa mentioned it in the car."

"Hm...and this is the worst it's been since then, right?" She sounded hopeful that he hadn't hidden this from her.

"Yes. It's gotten worse over the last few days…" Along with his irritation, but that was an emotional control matter. She didn't need to hear about that.

"Well, I can't find anything wrong, so I'll check anything else that could be different as well. I might have to take an X-ray too, it that okay?"

"That's fine." He really didn't have much choice in the matter.

"Good, then tell me anything else that's been off lately."

So, Toshinoir started talking. He mentioned getting mad at Young Bakugou and Ashido for their yelling, which she didn't comment on. He mentioned the odd light trick All For One did at the holding cell, but there was no indication a quirk had affected them. He shared his personal ideas of the incident, but ultimately came to the same conclusion. The villain was likely getting desperate. To Recogery Girl's request, he talked about anything that hurt from kamino, which was a long list. By the time everything was checked and the X-rays were taken, the run was starting to slip away.

"Toshinori, I'm going to call you if I find anything. Until then, I want you to take it easy. You just got out of your casts after all."

He almost laughed at her, but stayed politely quiet. She should know him to never take it easy by now. He didn't take it easy after he got his organs cut out, why would he do it now?

He got up slowly, accepting the gummy candies she offered out of habit, and he left with a soft 'thank you'. Now, he had grading to do. A lot of grading.

...

The sun had set two hours ago, but Toshinori was still wide awake. He had stopped grading a while ago, wanting to actually sleep tonight, but he couldn't. It wasn't from pain or frustration this time. No, he couldn't sleep because of the things his mind told him. It said that he was useless and a terrible teacher. It said that he had no chance at helping his students. It said that he had no purpose, that All Might was dead.

A part of him wanted to push back, to list the ways he had helped his students, but he was too tired. He had been fighting those thoughts for years, even before his first fight against All For One. He was tired of fighting back, so he let them run their course. Tomorrow, he would get up and continue, no matter what those voices said. He would get up and start over again. Just like always.

It was late into the night when Toshinori decided to sit up and read. It was better than listening to himself, although he doubted it would help. Once he was upright, he felt the burning again, but it was lighter now. It felt like a soft buzz, like One For All had felt. It comforted him, but also made him miss the quirk he passed along. It was like a child giving away his favorite toy because another, less fortunate kid didn't have one. One For All was no longer his. It was Izuku's.

He wasn't sure why he did it. Maybe, it was just to experiment. Maybe it was to prove to himself that One For All was really gone. Whatever the reason was, Toshinori began focusing. He tried to activate One For All. He tried to feel that rush, that buzz that confirmed his power. He tried to power up the way he did when he wanted to look like All Might. He tried with everything he had, and the result didn't come.

What did come, was a new sensation. That burning amplified until it burst. Then, he felt nothing. He couldn't feel his scar burn, his head throb or his bones ache. He couldn't feel any of it. He felt healthy, like he could run a while without breaking a sweat. When he opened his eyes, he saw nothing, but it didn't worry him. Nothing worried him.

He saw the bulb from the lamp on his bedside, but it was like an orb of black magic. It no longer gave light to his bedroom, but filled it with darkness. It made sense in a way. Somehow, the world had just changed to make the presence of light into its opposite. Darkness. Toshinori stood up, looking around the room and almost laughed. He felt so good. His shoulders no longer pressed downward. His neck no longer felt too weak to hold his held. The only thing that was slightly concerning was the darkness. Although the trick with his lamp was fascinating, it made it impossible to see anything else. In fact, when he looked behind himself, he couldn't see where his bed had been. It was like being in a deep cave without flashlights. He couldn't see his own hand.

Until he focused again. Then, light sparked and danced around his fingers. It hurt his eyes to look at, having been in a dark room for who knows how long, but once he got used to it, it became blissful. The light looked like electricity and crossed between his fingers the way one of those Plasma Globes would. It was a light blue color and made his hands feel warm.

"All Might? Can you open the door?"

Was that Aizawa's voice? Where was it coming from? The light left his fingers and he was back in darkness. He struggled to feel his way around his room and felt his dresser connect with his foot, but no pain sprouted. It was like he had gently tapped it. Interesting.

He knocked into a few other items before he found the door handle. He pulled it open, but found nothing but darkness. "Aizawa?" He called and it echoed back.

"All Might, where are you?"

The voice didn't come from directly in front of him. He walked forward and was met with his bathroom sink. Oh. Wrong door. He left again and nearly fell over before finding another handle. This time, he heart Aizawa's shout from the other side.

When he opened it, the darken continued and he started to get concerned. He could see the light bulbs on the hallway ceiling, and they emitted darkness like his lamp had. "What's going on?" he asked. How had he not noticed how strange this was before?

"I don't know. According to the students, this darkness reaches halfway up the first floor and stops. It looks like a quirk, but there hasn't been any sign of intruders." Aizawa sounded frustrated and almost frantic.

"Have you tried using erasure at random intervals? You might catch whoever has this quirk." Toshinori suggested, hoping this wasn't an intruder situation. UA was having a difficult enough time with the media as it stood. A few seconds later, the lights came back and Toshinori groaned, the light burning his eyes. "I guess that works." He groaned and risked a peek at Aizawa. His hair was up and erasure had been activated, but his eyes weren't turned toward someone in the hall.

Those red eyes were positioned on him.


	3. Chapter 3

The moment it clicked for the two of them, Toshinori was thrown onto the floor. Aizawa's training must have kicked in and the blonde's head was pressed into the floor. He resisted the urge to shiver when he felt hot breath tickle the back of his neck. "We're going to Nezu." Aizawa commanded and Toshinori complied, too shaken to fight against the firm grip on his wrists. His head swam when he was pulled onto his feet and nearly fell again. He wasn't used to getting thrown around by someone else, especially someone he considered a friend.

The dorm was quiet aside from a few students who stayed up to finish studying. Aizawa gave them a firm glare and didn't answer any questions that were thrown his way. Once they made it to the Principal's office, Toshinori fell silent and stopped trying to understand the situation. Somehow, he had acquired a quirk, and not just one. There were at least two by what he saw. The light and darkness. How ironic.

"Why hello, ?" Nezu spoke in his usual happy tone, as if he already knew what had happened. Toshinori wouldn't doubt that he did.

"All Might has some kind of darkness quirk." The strain was hardly masked by his voice. Aizawa could only keep himself from blinding for so long.

"Close the door and let me access the situation." Nezu responded.

The second Aizawa turned to get the door, the lights went out again. Now, Toshinori had to find out how to turn them back on. He knew he had the ability to, if it really was a quirk of his. So, he thought of any way to do that. He thought about starting a fire. Blowing out a candle -maybe he had to burn out the darkness? Perhaps turning on a light switch. He thought of flipping it and on went the lights. Well, that worked.

"I see." Was all Nezu said. "Perhaps we should have Recovery Girl check on you, hm? I don't really have the time to do so myself." That meant he had too little information to assess the situation.

Aizawa prectivally shoved Toshinori out of the office and down the hall. "I don't know what you did, Yagi, but it can't be good." He muttered bitterly.

"Trust me, I feel the same." He hoped this wouldn't ruin all chances he had at becoming friends with the other teacher, but it likely did. Now, Aizawa had to babysit him along with his class of twenty.

Recovery Girl was indeed surprised to see Aizawa push Toshinori inside so harshly and grunt out, "Fix him."

Toshinori took his chance to sit down before the two of them started to talk. Aizawa explained the situation to her. The lights went out but in the form of a sphere that reached a few floors up. When he explained that the lights went back on once he activated erasure on him, she was very surprised. Then, the attention went back to Toshinori. He felt like a scolded child and hoped this was just a bad dream. Oh, how nice that would be. To wake up without this strange new quirk.

Recovery Girl politely asked Aizawa to leave, saying that he looked tired and needed rest to teach. He hesitated before agreeing, giving Toshinori one last glance before walking out. Once the door was closed, the school's nurse acknowledged him again. "Why are all my problems connected to you." She gave him a half-hearted glare before sighing. Toshinori stayed silent as she checked for any physical changes once again. "This isn't One For All, is it?" She sounded hopeful, and it broke his heart. He wished it were. If he still had One For All, then he cout still be All Might, no matter how short his time limit was. He could still teach to his full abilities. He wouldn't be useless anymore.

"No. It's not." He hung his head and focused to keep his breathing even. "How am I supposed to explain this to my students? Heck, how am I supposed to explain this to myself? These quirks just popped up out of nowhere!" The frustration came back in a roaring wave.

"Wait, quirks? You have two?" Recovery Girl stopped checking his chest to stare at him.

"Yes. The black out quirk and some kind of blue electricity quirk." He didn't see much significance in it. If he could magically gain one quirk, why not two?

"Oh my. Toshinori, normal people are only supposed to have one, if any. The fact that you not only suddenly have a quirk, but several quirks can only mean so many things."

"What are you implying? That I hid these from you? Why would I ever do that?!" She couldn't really be accusing him of something so selfish. All those years, when he was quirkless...he didn't spend those years bullied and shamed just to be accused of lying.

He must have been glaring, because Recovery Girl placed a hand on his knee and gave him a slight smile. "That's not what I'm saying. Perhaps, your birth quirk just needed a certain situation to bloom, but it's unlikely for you to be born with two, especially since neither of your parents had similar quirks. No, I think this is something...worse."

He almost didn't want to know. "We can find out more about this later." He suggested. He yawned and the pain started coming back. He really needed some sleep. "I just want to get cleared with you so I can sleep."

She hummed in understanding and made the check up as painless as possible. He laid down for the majority of it. He started drifting off into sleep when a small hand shook him awake. Oh, right. He couldn't just sleep here for the night, not that he really wanted to. The beds were far too small and his legs would hurt in the morning.

Toshinori sat up slowly, yawning again and stretching. His joints popped and he groaned at the sharp pains. Before he could leave, Recovery Girl stopped him. She looked worried, but Toshinori almost didn't care. "I don't know what Nezu will decide to do with you, but please, take it easy. I have enough students to fix, I don't need you in that mess as well. Your body is still weak and hurt. I'm surprised it is handling these quirks so well; so, not only for my sake, but your students' too, don't over do it."

He really didn't have a choice in the matter. If he said no, he'd sound and feel like an absolute jerk, but he wasn't sure if he could truthfully give his word. "I'll try." was all she got before he slipped away.

...

The journey back to the dorms was almost like a stealth mission. He didn't want to run into either Nezu or Aizawa, and if anyone else saw him, then he could easily get caught in conversation. So, he kept to the walls and shadows. He probably looked like an idiot, crawling along the walls and keeping suspiciously behind corners, but it was effective.

Once inside his room, he immediately walked back to his bed. His chest burned, his scare tingled and his head throbbed, but he could sleep through it. He'd been doing it for nearly six years. What was one more night?

author's notes: This is a shorter chapter, I'm sorry. I plan to make next chapter a lot longer to make up for that. That you for your questions and comments! It fuels me!


	4. Chapter 4

Nezu called another faculty meeting before school started. Toshinori knew exactly what it would be about and dreaded it. He didn't want to be put onto a pedestal for everyone to see and judge. He just wanted to teach his students in peace, was that so much to ask? A voice in his head said to ignore the email and never show up, but he couldn't do that. Not only did that dissatisfied his sense in duty but he needed to know what Nezu planned to tell the other teachers.

He was the last one to arrive, having taken a longer shower than he had planned and got tangled in his long pants. Everyone watched as he muttered apologies and walked to his seat. Aizawa was sitting across from him, the perfect seat to glare at him in. Toshinori was starting to think he did that on purpose. Maybe it was his method of getting him to shut up. He wasn't sure.

"Now that everyone is here, let's start by introducing our predicament." Nezu started, making a show of clearing his throat and offering tea, as always. When no one took his offer, he stared. "Last night, I was notified that All Might had somehow become aware of a different manifestation of a quirk. It seems very different from the one he held before as a hero and symbol."

"Woah! Really?!" Hizashi shouted, forgetting to keep his quirk down, as always. Aizawa gave him a jab to remind him, which went ignored. "What kind of quirk are we talking about here? Is it, like, a mind reading quirk?!" He turned to Toshinori. "What am I thinking about?!"

Toshinori really wasn't in the mood to entertain his coworker's antics and rolled his eyes, which was really rude for him, but he didn't care. How strange. He was perfectly fine this morning. What was up with his attitude?

Nezu thankfully continued. "He has shown signs of a darkness quirk that has temporarily been called Light Expulsion. From my understanding of it, the quirk takes all light from an area, making everything but the exact source of the light unseeable. Would you like to demonstrate, All Might?" Nezu asked so kindly.

"I guess." He just hoped no one was going to scream like a little kid. He had faith in his coworkers, but he knew a few of them weren't above it. He imagined the light stitch again and turned it off. The light slowly pulled from the lamp above them into nothingness. All that was left was darkness and the same glow as earlier. It made him feel safe, like he could run away if he wanted. Like no one was watching his every move. How long had he been in the direct spot light? Probably over thirty years now.

Someone did end up screaming, but Toshinori wasn't completely sure if it was from the darkness or another teacher spooking them. He turned the lights back on, exhaustion playing at his mind from the activation. This quirk felt different from One For All in it's energy usage as well. With One for All, he had to constantly be using it and had to learn to make the activation subconscious. With this quirk, he only had to focus when trying to turn it on or off. He wondered if he could turn the lights out for hours. Maybe even a day?

"What do you suppose we do about this new development?" Nezu stated the question and sat back, watching the 'silly humans' fight about outcomes that he had already calculated. He already knew his answer, but he wanted everyone else to feel accomplished. Like their opinions actually mattered. Toshinori doubted they did. At least not to Nezu.

Argue they did. The first one to start was Snipe, commenting on the questionable nature of this quirk, which seemed to make Hizashi upset. Blood King shouted about equality between villainous and the typical 'hero quirks' for a solid ten minutes. Toshinori stopped listening halfway through. His opinion would get drowned into the ocean of contention along with the rest of it.

Instead, Toshinori tried to guess Nezu's decision. From what the principal said, he didn't want to mention the lightning quirk, at least not yet. It was a more dangerous quirk to use, one that could hurt the students if he misused it. The darkness quirk was more or less harmless. It would make sense for Nezu to allow him back into the main teaching parts of the hero course, but it was also so risky. Not only did he have to explain this unusual situation to the students, but he needed all of them to believe it fully. That would be difficult for Izuku and Bakugou particularly.

Those two, and a few others, where very intuitive about quirks. Izuku knew the most about One For All and he knew Toshinori had none of it left. He was also the only students that knows he was quirkless before gaining the quirk. He would likely try to come to his teachers for the truth, but no one had that. No one knew what was wrong with him.

Young Bakugou was just as observant, but he was stubborn about it too. With Izuku, Toshinori might have the chance to get him to stay quiet and not ask, but Bakugou was much less predictable. The fact that he was able to guess where Izuku's quirk came from was also bad news. Todoroki was the same as well.

Toshinori felt stressed just by thinking about it. How had he ended up with such smart students? He was proud of them, but it made keeping his secrets so much harder. His mental chain cut off at Nezu's proclamation.

"I have decided to let All Might work with the hero course students under specific conditions. He must, first, have another teacher in the room to supervise. Second, he must train this quirk, and any others that may appear, to the best of his ability. Those are my only conditions. His first class with be on Wednesday with 13."

It was almost like a dream come true, if the fear of hurting his students wasn't so heavy in his mind. "What if more quirks do show up?" He asked. Now, he knew Nezu knew about the lightning quirk. He also knew that none of the other teachers really knew why he had these. If he could get Nezu to make up a story for him, than he could simply pass it along to the students. Perhaps, it would be enough to convince at least Young Todoroki.

"As we both know, this strange phenomenon was caused by the over usage of your initial quirk. The advice I would give you and the rest of our UA teachers is to expect the unexpected. If a new quirk suddenly springs to life, I want to hear about it immediately."

That was actually a pretty good lie. Not the best he'd heard, but pretty good. It was better than anything he could make up by himself. "Thank you." He nodded to the principal before looking back at his hands. He didn't want to face everyone else yet. He wasn't sure how they would treat him from here on out. He really didn't want to be babied, but if one of his quirks did get out of control, he would need their help. He hoped with everything he could that a situation like that would never happen.

"That will be all for now. Thank you for coming." Nezu concluded the meeting and everyone left but Toshinori. Once everyone was gone, Nezu gave him an expectant look.

"How am I supposed to explain this to my successor?"

"I believe your best choice is to tell him the truth."

Toshinori didn't find the suggestion appealing. Izuku idolized him and of course he knew he'd have to break that relationship at some point, but it felt almost...nice? He liked being All Might to someone, even after they had seen him the way he was. He liked having that kind of influence still. "But I don't really know anything." That was another part he didn't like about coming clean with his successor. Admitting he wasn't actually invincible somehow seemed easier than admitting that he really didn't know something. He was supposed to be a mentor. How could he just, not know something so important?

"I believe this is a problem the great All Might can figure out on his own."

That was Nezu's way of telling him to shut up and leave. At least, that's what Toshinori taught it meant, so he got up and left with a quiet 'thank you'. The nervous feeling didn't go away, and now that he thought about it, neither did the irritation. Both seemed like they were becoming part of him. He was no longer the brave and inspiring All Might. He was now the anxious and annoyed Toshinori.

…

When Toshinori got the chance, he peeked into the 1-A class room and quietly pulled Izuku from his lesson. Of course, Aizawa gave him a hard look and mouthed something about favoritism but he ignored it. This wasn't about his coworker. This was about trusting his successor.

As they walked in the halls, Izuku asked many many questions. Why had he pulled Izuku out of class? Was it really that urgent? Was he in trouble? Was Toshiori in trouble? Had something happened with their shared quirk? Did he want to talk about Izuku's poor math grade? The boy swore up and down that he had studied.

By the time they made it to the private teacher's gym, Toshinori was beyond tired of hearing his successor talk. He loved the boy, but he could be a bit much at times. He shifted his weight between legs and rubbed at his chest absentmindedly, waiting for Izuku to either finish his thought -which wasn't very likely to happen- or for the burning in his chest to burst again. It had done that once or twice since the night he found out about his darkness quirk. He suspected it might be another power or an effect from one of his two quirks. Whatever it was, it made him feel the best he's felt for years. When the burning didn't rise, he started.

"My boy, I have something to talk to you about." He started, interrupting the constant stream of muttering. Now that he had Izuku's full attention, he smirked to himself. He'd get the chance to show off his quirks a little bit as a simple demonstration. But first, he had to make sure Izuku wouldn't scream and run. "It's very important that you save your questions until after, alright?" When his boy nodded seriously, he drew in a breath and let the secret out. "I've developed at least two new quirks as of this week."

The questions weren't saved for after. Of course they wouldn't be. Izuku was a curious person and he typically couldn't stop himself from spiraling into his muttering mess. Toshinori stopped him sooner this time. "Hey, didn't I say to wait?" He almost felt bad when he saw the guilty look Izuku gave him. Almost.

"I'm sorry All Might. I'm just...wow. And it's...no. Sorry. Continue, please." At least the boy could show self control. With that little start, he could now give his demonstration.

"Let me show you." He couldn't keep the smirk from effecting his tone. He was really excited.

In a moment, the lights went out. The only indicator that his quirk had activated was the soft orbs that looked like they had been the ceiling lights. Izuku started gasping and muttering again, trying to keep from actually asking a question. He knew the boy was likely taking mental notes for his hero book. His boy would have a lot of fun willing it out with these new quirks. Maybe, he could trust Izuku enough to help him figure out how to use them, if not find out how he got them. No, he had to wait for that. One step at a time.

Shoving the thought away, Toshinori felt his hand rise and let blue sparks dance between his fingertips. He could now see Izuku's astonished face, the way the light showed his soft features make the moment seem almost magical. In a way, it actually was. Toshinori didn't say anything, fearing he would ruin it. He let his successor stare at his hand as if it were the first time he saw light. It filled his heart with warmth. Then, Izuku reached out and touched it. The sparks jumped to the boy's hand, but when they made contact, they sent out a slight shock, sending a small wave of pain down both their arms. Toshinori withdrew his hands and Izuku jumped back, One For All activating on reflex. The green lights that wrapped around the boy's limbs looked similar to the sparks on Toshinori's fingers.

"Sorry about that." Izuku laughed. "That's really cool, All Might! A darkness and static quirk!"

"Static? Why would you say it was static?"

Although Toshinori couldn't see it, he knew Izuku was rubbing the back of his head. "Well, it's definitely in the electricity family, but it doesn't react the way Kaminari's does. His quirk send out high voltages of electricity and effects him as well. Yours has no effect on you unless it touches someone else. It's more like static than full on lightning."

That made sense. He wondered why it shocked them both though. If it didn't affect him while he activated it alone then why wouldn't it do the same when touching someone else. Maybe, he could use that against an opponent. If he ignored the shock it gave, he would be able to give off larger shocks and distract his enemy. Especially combined with his darkness quirk. He would especially have full control over his enemy's environment. With that in mind, he turned the lights back on.

"Can I ask questions now?"

Toshinori nearly laughed at the innocent question. He knew that the second he allowed it, he would get lots of questions he just couldn't answer. "Sure." His boy deserved whatever answers he had.

"First, how did this happen? Did these quirks just show up? I remember Uraraka mentioning something about an orb of darkness. Was that you? How long have you had these quirks? How wide is the range of your darkness quirk? Can-"

"Slow down." Toshinori rested a hand on Izuku's shoulder. "Really, all I know is that I have two new quirks and I need someone to help me train them." He hoped his boy understood his implication.

He did. "Wait! You want me to help you train your quirks?!" Izuku let out a small squeal. "But...How?! Why?!"

"Well, you have experience in having to train a quirk long after you've gotten used to not having one. Our situations aren't really the same, but I can't think of someone better. So, what do you say? Will you help this old man become Japan's best teacher?" He went into one of his All Might poses for emphasis.

"Yes!" Was Izuku's immediate response. Toshinori knew he would never regret this decision.

…

"I plan to make this exercise a villain hostage practice." 13 explained, shoving the folder of papers toward him. Did they think he'd actually read all of this?

"I feel like I have enough control to act as a villain. I also have a lot of experience in hostage situations. It wouldn't be hard to act one out." Toshinori started thinking of strategies. He had been able to get his darkness circle to reach up to the second floor in the dorms. That should be enough for this exercise. His static quirk was a lot less predictable, but he knew how to shock someone without touching them. He had done it to Izuku enough times to make his skin go a bit numb.

13 seemed relieved. "Thank goodness. I know you've often acted as a villain for our simulations and you're really good at it. I almost charged after you during our rescue training." They gave a soft laugh. "I also...really hate having to be the villain. I know it's kinda illogical, since we're helping the students, but it feels so...wrong. I hate thinking about the things I could accidentally do to them, with a quirk like mine. I've trained it enough to not kill them of course, but one small mistake…"

Toshinori didn't want to think about it either. 13 had what others would consider as a borderline quirk. It wasn't necessarily villainous, but it had a strong potential to be. He didn't know what it was like to grow up with a quirk like that -he didn't really know what it was like to grow up with a quirk at all- but he doubted it was easy. "I understand, 13. It's hard sometimes. I never know how much power to use. Well, before Kamino at least. I didn't want to go too easy on them, no one learns anything from holding back, but I didn't want to beat them down too heavily either." He still felt bad for going too hard on Izuku and Young Bakugou in their finals.

"Well, you're different now. You have new quirk and I'm personally excited to see what happens. This kind of quirk is really rare in this modern day and an unexpected quirk is always a possibility. Besides, no two hostage situations are the same. The more experience they have, the better." They gave him a thumbs up and started gathering their papers. "Be ready for tomorrow, alright?"

Toshinori nodded and took another look at his pile of ungraded papers on his desk. He despised them with a fiery passion. 13's voice pulled at his attention again.

"Oh, and make sure to wear something evil." They said before leaving the teacher's lounge. The thought made him smile. He could definitely dress to impress, at least when it came to hero attire. Or, in this case, villain attire.


	5. Chapter 5

Izuku listened closely to every word 13 said.

"You will have three hours to approach the hostage area, assess how best to save the victims, and save each of them. Groups one and two, will switch off between heroes and victims. All Might will be waiting inside for the victims and will set them up however he wants. Remember, the two rounds will not be the same, so don't expect to be able to get inside the same way the group before did!" They shouted over the entire class of 1-A. The two groups had been slip up at random. The first group containing Shoji, Jiro, Sero, Tokoyami, Todoroki, Hagakure, Aoyama, himself, Sato and Momo. When 13 asked for questions, a few hands came up. It had been a few days since All Might told the rest of hero course classes about his quirks, -technically he only mentioned the darkness quirk- which he was thankful for. It was one more thing he didn't have to keep from the rest of his class and friends.

13 chose Jiro first. "Is it really okay to give it our all? I mean, just because All Might has a quirk now doesn't mean he's at physical best."

The Black Hole hero nodded. "You're worried about hurting him. I get it, but both All Might himself and Recovery Girl said it was safe for him to participate in this exercise. Don't think he defenseless just because he's weaker. He can pack and take a pretty hard punch."

The rest of the hands went down. With a nod of assurance, group two walked into the fake building and prepared to meet their fates as captives. Kacchan seemed the least excited about being a hostage, although Ashido took a close second. Izuku was nervous as well -although he though Kacchan looked more bored than nervous. He didn't know what All Might had in store for them, and Izuku knew better than anyone how powerful he was. Even in his true form, he could really find his way in a fight. Izuku still felt the tingle of the small shocks All Might had given him during their small training sessions.

After about twenty minutes, a buzzer rang out, indicating that All Might was ready. Now, it was his and his team's job to save them. If he thought for long enough, he could forget that this was a simulation.

They were a full three blocks away from the incident and started out knowing nothing but which building the hostage was in. Really, All Might could bend the rules however he wanted. He didn't even need to keep the hostages inside. What if he switched buildings? What if they wasted their entire time searching empty floors while his classmates were seconds away from losing their lives? What if-

"Hey, Midoriya, calm down." Izuku jumped at the cold hand that landed on his shoulder. He turned to the owner of said hand and came face to face with Todoroki. "You're muttering too much. We still have to finish this simulation."

Izuku wasn't sure if Todoroki was trying to make a joke or something, but he hadn't really succeeded. He was still a nervous mess, but at least he could focus now. "Where are we starting?" He asked the rest of his group.

"We were thinking of splitting up and trying all entrances at once." Hagakure offered. Crap! Had they already started strategizing? How long was he muttering for?

"Isn't it better to surround the building and move in at once?" Jiro suggested. "We can overwhelm All Mi-I mean-the villain easier that way.

"I think we should send in one group and let them find the best entrance. Jiro can use her quirk to find their relative location." Momo offered.

Sero laughed in response. "Bakugou's so loud, we could probably find him without it." His laughter slowly turned into soft chuckles before fading away. "Man. I have no one to laugh at him with. Mina, Kirishima and Kaminari are in the other group." He pouted.

"I think Momo's plan is the best." Todoroki agreed, which convinced Izuku. It really was the best plan of action.

"The first group can be Jiro, Shoji, Sero and Izuku." Momo smiled and Izuku let out a yelp. Him? Why him? "That way, we have two people for listening, two for breaking in and one for restraining."

"But that's five people and there are only four people in the group! Are you sure you did your math right?" Sero commented.

"Shoji counts for both listening and breaking in." Sato supplied.

The four students lined up and started marching toward the flagged building. Dread built in Izuku's gut with every step. What was he supposed to expect? This was All Might they were about to fight! He had the most fighting experience of all the teacher! He knew how to use his quirk against someone, even if he barely had control of it. Izuku knew what he could do and if his finals were anything to go off of, this would be a battle they walked away from bruised.

Once they made it to the building, Shoji and Jiro got to listening for voices. It took a while of careful listening and walking before someone said something. "I think they're in the basement." Jiro whispered.

"Should we try a door, or would it be better to make our own?" Izuku suggested.

"No way are we breaking the building down." Sero shook his head. "We don't want to crush them."

Oh. That was a really good point. Why did he even suggest it?

"Let's find a door, but be careful. If the villain left a door unlocked, it's likely being watched." A mouth on Shoji's arm suggested.

"Then let's not go in once we find it. We still have to let the others in on this." Jiro started down the sidewalk, looking for a way in. It took too long to find an open window that looked wide enough to fit a smaller person. It was too bad they didn't have Mineta or Koda.

They called over the rest of the group and Tokoyami decided Dark Shadow was the best for the job. The quirk went through the door and smashed open the nearest door. Not the entrance they expected to get, but an entrance all the same.

Now, All Might knew where they were, so they had to either split up or overwhelm him. Izuku also knew to expect the lights to go out at any time. That darkness quirk could ruin their entire mission, and if All Might managed to get close enough to shock them, they could easily fail this simulation. It was really too high of a risk to stay together.

When Izuku voiced the problem -at least about the quirk they knew about- they agreed easily. He went with Shoji, Tokoyami and Aoyama to head down to the basement on the left side and the rest went on the right. They were running out of time and they still had to find the hostages and get them out safely.

"They're close." Shoji whispered, pointing to the door to their right. "I can hear them breathing from there."

This was their chance. Either they bust in there and be the first wave of heroes for rescue, or they snuck in to avoid the villain knowing. Izuku wondered if they should regroup again. They were really taking too much time but he was so uncertain. What was All Might going to do? He could still shock all of the captured citizens to count it as a kill. If he did that, they lost the fight.

"We should go in now." Tokoyami suggested. "If he activated his darkness quirk, Dark Shadow will only get stronger and I can depend on Aoyama to get him back under control if needed."

They _had_ been working on team work lately. With Aoyama's bright beams, Dark Shadow wasn't able to get out of control and it also taught the blond boy to preserve his quirk. Fire too many small lasers and his stomach would hurt, but if he shot one long one, there might he a risk that Dark Shadow became active again.

"Agreed." Aoyama nodded. "The other's will hear us and then the win shall be easy."

So, they were really going to do this. Sucking in a deep breath, Izuku nodded and faced the door. He could easily kick it open with his Shoot Style. He just had to make sure not to hit the victims. "Where exactly are they in the room?" He turned back to Shoji.

"They're sitting along this wall." The taller male pointed to the far side. Perfect.

Izuku gave an affirming nod and felt One For All begin to fire into his veins. His muscles warmed with the energy and he trained his eyes on the higher half of the door. Just one kick. He pushed himself forward and just before he made contact, the lights went out.

He landed next to the broken door and didn't bother looking around for his classmates. He'd trained in All Might's darkness before. He could track his own location by focusing on the faded lights on the ceiling. He didn't have to panic. He knew where he was and where his friends were. There was no reason to be scared. Even though no one could see it, he put on a smile. He had trick the fear and move on.

Each step seemed to echo through his skull hundreds of times. No one made a sound and for a second, he wondered if they had gotten the wrong door. Just as he was able to shout out a threat to their villain, a blue light flashed behind him and Izuku jumped to the walls. There he was. All Might stood in the middle of the room, only illuminated by the dancing static on his finger tips. He wore a dark suit, fitting for a villain of this kind. Although his style as All Might may prove otherwise, he was a classic villain. The kind that kept a level head through the fight and seemed untouchable throughout the entire encounter. He was smug and acted as if he knew Izuku's every weakness.

In this case, he did. All Might held one of the hostages in his arms, hugging them to himself like a shield. It made Izuku tremble. If he attacked, he would just end up hurting the civilians. If he didn't, the villain won. He jumped from the wall to the ceiling and back out the door. He had to warn them.

The entrance that Izuku had come in through was blocked by a shield of flesh. He kicked whoever was in his way onto the floor, and winced at the thud. He would have to apologize to whoever that was after the simulation.

Izuku could see the fire of Todoroki's quirk light up the hall just around the corner. Their backup was on its way, but they didn't know that All Might was planning on using his captives against them. They didn't know what awaited them.

"Wait! Don't attack!" Izuku shouted out and his words seemed to echo all around him. It felt so strange, like someone had just used his voice to say the words back. He shook his head and waited for the fire to come closer. He had to clear his mind. This usually happened when All Might used Darkness. His hearing became more sensitive and everything he said seemed louder. It was just his distorted senses. Nothing was unnatural. Everything was fine.

"The clock is ticking, Heroes." All Might taunted. Izuku could hear everyone pause, looking toward the direction of the sparkling blue lights. He was coming out into the hall now, holding Ojiro up like dead weight. The Tail hero had a nervous look on his face, but that was all Izuku could see. The rest was blanketed in darkness. "Are you just going to stand there? I could've killed these helpless children a hundred times over."

Dread built in Izuku's gut and he felt like vomiting, but he couldn't let it interfere with the mission. Wait, this was just training. All Might wasn't actually going to kill his classmates. This wasn't real.

Todoroki was the first to react. He iced the hall floors and slid moved to slide past All Might, but he got hit with a bolt of static. No. That was too powerful to be just static. Static didn't make your body tense and shake like Todoroki's did. That was electricity in its purest form.

After Todoroki hit the ground, blue sparks began traveling from his body to the ice this active fire quirk had melted. It didn't reach far, since most of the water was still frozen, but it was enough to get everyone five feet away from the two, including Izuku. His body shook with each wave of pain and he felt every muscle in his body shift and contract as if they were trying to escape through his skin. It hurt so badly and by the time he could think, he was on the floor, groaning.

"I apologize, Heroes, but I can't let you win so easily."

The time ran out and the buzzer sounded. All Might won.

…

Izuku sat with the rest of the students who had gotten electrocuted, wrapped up in a blanket and given candies from Recovery Girl. All Might came running toward them, worry taking over his features.

"I'm so sorry! Is anyone still hurt?" He nearly shouted, checking Izuku's eyes and arms for injuries. Of course, he wouldn't find any. Those had all been taken care of by Recovery Girl.

"We're fine." Todoroki said, staring at his hands. He took the lose the worst of them all. Izuku knew he blamed himself for getting caught easily, but really, this was a mess on everyone's part.

"Man. So, you have two quirks now?" Sero asked, seeming to completely forget what just happened. "That's cool, Man! It's like you got the good version of Kaminari's quirk!" He laughed, although it wasn't really funny without the offended student here.

"13 said it would be a good idea to not continue this practice. I need more time with this second quirk." All Might seemed to be talking to himself more than them. "I truly am sorry for hurting you."

"It's fine, All Might." Izuku spoke up. "Any real villain wouldn't be so kind. If anything, it gave us a good experience with out timing on hostage situations and plan making. Next time, we'll do better." He gave an encouraging smile and it thankfully reached his mentor.

"That's a good way to see it. This was indeed a good learning opportunity. Most new heroes think that all hostage villains are trying to hide, but some are a lot more bold. And stupid, which is very dangerous. Remember to always communicate between your teams."

Izuku liked it when All Might went into teacher mode. He always had such good advice and so much experience. It felt as if he would never have enough time to learn all he needed from his mentor. With that warm though, Izuku thanked All Might for helping with the simulation and let his teacher retreat to talk to someone else. It was selfish to take all of All Might's time. He had other people to teach as well, after all. Izuku was just one of the many people who depended on All Might for guidance.


	6. Chapter 6

Toshinori walked away from his class with 13 with a terrible feeling in his chest. It wasn't because his heart burned, but because he had hurt his students. He hurt his students and didn't immediately feel bad either. Actually, if he was being completely and totally honest, it felt good. Not the kind of good that arose after righting a particularly difficult villain. No, this good feeling was devious and sickening. This kind of good made him want to hurt someone else again.

Toshinori went against his better judgment and kept the dark thoughts to himself. What would Nezu think if he knew? Would Recovery Girl treat him the same? What would Izuku say? Oh no. He could never tell Izuku. He was supposed to be a hero. He couldn't be thinking these things. He couldn't enjoy hurting someone else.

As the sun started to set, Toshinori paced his small bedroom, trying to will the thoughts away, but they didn't elave. If anything, the got more powerful. They started to tell him selfish and horrible things about the people he loved.

"Your fellow teachers are so naive. They think the world is so innocent."

"Why fight for such selfish people? The media disrespects you, so why shouldn't you let the villains kill them off? They're practically asking for it."

"Your students won't last a second out there. They're too weak."

"Why would Nana willingly let you live a life like this? She knew what hero work had in store. Why would she throw away your potential?"

He had to stop. His coworkers-friends- weren't stupid or naive! He loved the citizens he fought for! His students held a bright future and would one day surpass him! Nana never did anything wrong! She gave him his dreams! She cared about him.

Toshinori couldn't feel his hand connect with the bathroom mirror, but he saw the blood run down his arms. What was he doing? Why were these thoughts plaguing him? He couldn't keep this to himself. He had to tell someone. He had to. He-

"Hello?" a familiar voice ran from his phone. When had he called someone? Why were there blood stains on the screen?

"I need a lift to Tartarus." he spoke with surprising ease.

"Alright, I'll be at the gates in about five minutes." The voice said before hanging up. Who had he called? The screen only told him that it was one of the heroes that volunteered to drive him around back when his arm was broken. Thank goodness it wasn't Naomasa. He didn't want to have to worry about his friend asking difficult questions. At this point, he doubted he was stable enough to communicate properly either.

His mind numbed over as he put on a jacket, pulled on his shoes and left to meet his driver. He was a nice made, usually dressed in a dark mask and skin-tight outfit like the rest of the heroes. Toshinori only gave him a nod before letting himself skin into subconscious thoughts. No. He couldn't do that. He had to keep his mind clear. If he let the thoughts out, he might hurt someone else. No, he had to suppress them, just like he'd always done. Suppress the pain so no one can see. _No one would know if you just never came back._

"_Stop_." Toshinori hissed and the car lurched.

"Are you alright?" The hero in the front seat tried to turn to look at him.

Toshinori gave a soft laugh and tried his best to play it off as an accident. "Sorry. I did mean to say that. Keep going." The silence that followed drowned him.

The moment the car stopped at the entrance to Tartarus, Toshinori leaped out of the car. He waved to his driver and said he'd ride the train back. With a nervous nod, the hero left. _That was so easy. Who trained heroes to be such pushovers?_

"_Shut up_." He hissed again and walked into the prison base.

Security measures took longer than he had hoped, his paranoia growing to very high levels. He nearly bolted when the machine beeped at him. Apariently, it was just his belt. With a long sigh, Tosinori followed the security guard to the only cell he cared to look at. He knew many other cells held villains he had conquered over the years, but they didn't matter. There was no one more dangerous in this entire building than the one person he came here to see.

"It's so nice to see you again, All Might." Toshinori sat in front of All for One. He wasn't sure when he had walked in or even sat down, but it didn't matter.

"What did you do to me?" It had to be All for One. Nothing else could feel like this. No one else could transfer quirks. It didn't make sense any other way.

"Ah. So you found my gift?" He hated the way this villain played his misery off like a joke. Then again, that's what he had always done. He did that when Nana died. He did that when he was seconds from death. He did that in Kamino.

"What did you do to me?" He repeated.

"I'll put it as simply as possible. I gave you a few quirks and now, you get to become my new plaything."

"How do I make the voices stop?" He didn't care about anything else. He didn't even care that these quirks had been stolen and forced into Toshinori's weak system. He just wanted to feel normal again.

"Those never stop. I've been living with those since the day my quirk manifested. It gets easier to live with if you just do what they say. Trust me."

That wasn't possible. There had to be a way out. "You didn't give me All For One, so why am I hearing these voices?"

"That's what happens when I take a quirk. It doesn't just stay it's own, unique quirk. It gets trained by mine and when I pass it, it becomes just as evil as the original. That's how I gained control over my Nomus. Their minds couldn't handle so much corruption so they shut down. You, on the other hand, are much stronger. You're quirklessness makes you a perfect vessel. Now look at you! You're handling four quirks like it's child's play!" The villain laughed.

"Four?" Toshinori had to keep himself from screaming. How had he fallen into the monster's trap so easily?

"Yes. Darkness, White Lightning, Healer's heart and strength enhancer seven."

"What do the last two do?"

"Now, that would be too easy. Don't you want to find out for yourself?"

Toshinori resisted the urge to hit the glass. "I want you to take these quirks back." He hissed.

"I can't do that. Well, i could. I just refuse to. Tomura is proving slow at progressing and my backup won't be easily persuaded to follow someone other than me. So, you are my last option. My plan C, really."

It made him sick. This entire conversation was so unbearably disgusting. "What will happen now?"

All For One paused and his smile widened. "Wouldn't you like to know."

Toshinori had had enough. He was tired of trying to crack the thick shell of this villain and even more tired of the horror that would become his life. He stood up and started to leave the building. He only stopped when the lights flickered again.

"Oh, and All Might?"

The villain didn't continue until Toshinori was facing him.

"I can't wait to see you fall."

The blonde left the room, slamming the door behind him.

…

As Toshinori saw it, he had three options. He could keep this to himself and risk becoming whatever All For One planned. He could tell those who cared about this and suffered through this with them, or, he could tell only Nezu and leave the school. Really, it was too difficult of a choice to make that night. Instead, Toshinori cleaned the glass on his bathroom floor and tried his best to go to sleep.

The fear of hurting someone haunted him, but the urge never left. It wasn't too overpowering, but he wasn't an idiot either. It would grow stronger and he would have to do something about it before it became too much. For now, though, he only felt the slight need to do something. He wasn't always sure what. It was like when he had learned to drive. At times, he got the urge to run a red light simply because his body didn't want to stop. Those urges were easily ignored, but urges all the same.

Toshinori finally let his body rest, the voices and urges slowly forgotten. He hadn't slept well in too long.

Author's note: This is another shorter one because this seemed like a really good place to stop.


	7. Chapter 7

Toshinori woke up the next morning feeling empty. His chest ached and his head hurt, but he couldn't find the energy to do anything about it.

He laid on his bed, staring at the frameless wall. They were so boring that it almost hurt to stare at, but he didn't move his head. That would make him too tired. He already was too tired. Toshinori let out a long sigh but didn't move. He knew what this was and could only hope he mustered up the will to stand. It seemed impossible. He could barely move his eyes along the wall without feeling exhausted. How could he even think of standing?

It was 6:00 in the morning. Class was going to start soon, but he couldn't get out of bed. He built up the strength to turn his head, looking over his shoulder for his phone. It was charging on his nightstand. Had his nightstand always been so far away? Had he moved it at any point? It was likely. He let out a soft sigh and turned back toward the wall. This was the worst it's been for a long time. Usually, he could manage to call in or force himself up after an hour or two of laying there, but he doubted he would move for the entire day.

Last night's panic attack must've triggered something in his brain. Or maybe, it was just talking to All for One. The last time he did, he ended up frustrated and generally rude to everyone. He still kind of was, although he had mellowed out a bit. Maybe too much, considering the heavy presence of nothingness pressed into his mind and chest. He wished it would just leave, that he could be a good teacher again. This entire week bad been too much for him. He got his cast off last week, went in to see that disgusting villain, found out about these new quirks, talked to the villain _again_ and now he was depressed.

He wanted to shout at whoever dared to knock on his door, demanding he get up, but he couldn't find the strength. He could barely bring himself to sigh, let alone talk.

"All Might." Aizawa shouted. And he called Hizashi annoying? He didn't give a response, he knocked again. Louder this time.

Toshinori was really starting to regret taking the room next to Aizawa. He had thought it would be a good opportunity to make friends with him, but now, he just wanted to sleep. Not that he really could, no matter how long he spent undisturbed.

"All Might, if you don't respond, I'll break your door down." He threatened,

Toshinori could've laughed, but the idea alone made him tired. What use would that be? If he was unable to respond before now, why would he suddenly answer after a threat like that? If he were kidnapped, it would be pointless. He thought Aizawa of all people would know that. A part of him wished he had just been kidnapped. Or maybe died from his failing heart and lungs. That would be better than the numb feeling.

Aizawa did, indeed, break through the door. Toshinori felt the dread ease into his throat, threatening to choke him. He just wanted to be alone. He didn't need someone else to tell him to get over it and stand up. He didn't need that.

The underground hero stopped by his bedside and checked to see if the older male was alive. Once he saw the blond's open eyes, he let out a heavy sigh, like Toshinori's existence alone bothered him. "Are you having a heavy pain day?" He asked in his usual tried and slightly irritated tone.

Toshinori managed to nod his head. Although he wasn't feeling any unusual stomach or chest pain, it was a perfect excuse to not get up. If Aizawa though he was unable to teach, he would just leave, right?

Wrong. "You don't look like your in much pain. You don't have a fever or anything." Toshinori moved his eyes from the blank wall to his coworker. He tried to glare, but he doubted it held any heat. He was really too tired.

They held the eye contact for a long time. Aizawa didn't make any move to leave and Toshinori strained to keep his head up. After what must've been an eternity, Aizawa sat on the side of his bed. At first, Toshinori felt uncomfortable. He was still in his dirty clothes from yesterday and his sheets likely weren't much better.

"Look, I'm not going to tell you to walk it off, because I know very well how impossible that is. I'm not going to tell you to smile either -you do enough of that anyway- but I do want you to take care of yourself. No, it's not my job to babysit you, but if you really can't do it yourself, then I'm willing."

It was the kindest thing Aizawa had offered and even said to him. Toshinori felt a small seed of hope plant into his chest. Maybe, he could find it in himself to get up? It would be hard and he knew he couldn't do it alone, but maybe he could still do it. He just had to trust that Aizawa could do it too.

All the blonde managed to get out was the word "Students", but he didn't need more explaining. Aizawa pulled out his phone and gave his usual -and perhaps his only- smile.

"Hizashi owes me a full day's worth of classes to make up. I'll tell him to take over your classes. You're lucky, though. Today, I only have one class and it's at the very end of the day." Aizawa seemed strangely comfortable sitting on Toshinori's bed, talking to him as if he weren't the cause of the world's problems. Well, at least Aizawa's problems.

"Thanks." he croaked out, his throat feeling like it had been rubbed raw. What had caused Aizawa to be so kind all of the sudden? He could've just kicked him out of bed -either literally or not- and went about his day. He could've called someone else to deal with him, but he didn't. Had he misjudged their relationship? Did Aizawa really not hate him _that_ much?

Aizawa looked like he might pat Toshinori's shoulder, but seemed to decide against it. The other teacher left the room, doing whatever it was he felt needed to be done. Then, Toshonori started to whisper to himself. Just little words to make his throat hurt a little less. He started coughing half way through, his entire body shaking with the effort and he wiped the remaining blood on his shirt. A bad habit.

Toshinori can feel his arms shake once the coughing fit has passed but if he lays down again, he won't be able to get back up. Instead, he leaned his back against the frame of his bed. Then, the urges came rushing back. He started to feel a little less empty, but he would almost prefer the emptiness to this dread. The thoughts of murder and hatred hurt his head and he vaguely wonders if Aizawa was joking about helping him. How long had he been gone? Did he just come in to pretend to be friendly? Was he laughing as he walked down the halls, leaving Toshinori to fend for himself?

The thought brought tears to his eyes and he was too tired to deny them. Why would he left himself believe Aizawa cared? How had he become so stupid? He'd spent years upon years studying how to read other humans. He'd spend so much time alone that all he really could do was study those around him. Was that old lady a potential threat? Was the police officer lying about the civilian's health? Were his doctors actually going to help him?

He thought that he was good enough at it to tell if someone was straight up lying to him. It stung so badly. Before he realized it, Toshinori was back under his covers, hugging his extra pillow to his chest in hopes to make it feel full again. He didn't have the energy to sob, so he just let the tears roll down his cheek, pooling at his white pillow. Aizawa left him at his worst, obviously showing how little he cared. But...it wasn't just Aizawa who let, was it? No one else cared enough to find out why he hadn't left his bed yet. No one else cared enough to give him a call or ask if he was okay. No one else cared.

"What do you want for-Hey." Aizawa's voice echoed around his walls and barely made it to Toshinori's ears. He audibly gasped at the sound. The bed dipped behind him and he looked over his shoulder. Aizawa gave him an unreadable look. He wasn't sure if it was disappointment, irritation or a genuine concern. He doubted the latter. "What? Did you change your mind about wanting my help?" It came out a bit snappy, but Toshinori didn't really care.

"I...I thought-" Toshinori sucked in a shaky breath and buried his face in his pillow. Now he just felt stupid. Why would Aizawa go into the effort of tricking him? He had far better things to do and it plainly wasn't logical. He misread Aizawa again.

Silence stretched for what seemed like hours before someone spoke again. "I was looking to see what kind of food you have. Did expect to find absolutely nothing." Aizawa whispered, as if it were a secret. Toshinori didn't dare show his face. The tears that likely stained his cheeks and turned his eyes red only proved his shame. He wouldn't let the other male see them. "I'm really not much better. Applesauce and juice packets is about it. You probably can't eat either."

"Why?" Toshinori croaked and he was thankful the pillow muffled it. He sounded awful.

"What?" Aizawa asked and he wasn't sure if it was a request to clarify or because he didn't hear him.

So, Toshinori did both. "Why are you still here?" He couldn't bring himself to say any more. He was afraid of what would slip out. His mind was working too fast and if he started talking, he might say something he'd regret for the rest of his life.

"Did I already tell you? You can't take care of yourself and I don't want to be the one responsabile if something bad happens to you."

"That's not what I meant." Aizawa was trying to push the real question away. Why did he care to take care of him?

The younger teacher stayed quiet for a long time. Toshinori expected him to get up and leave. It was rude of him to ask Aizawa something so personal. He was just barely lucky enough to get help at all. Why did he have to go and ruin it? "We've all had days like this." Toshinori tried not to jump at the sudden sound. "We've all had days when we just can't do it by ourselves. In times like these, we need someone else to help us, whether we like it or not. Hiszashi didn't let me curl into myself and waste away to nothing when I felt like this, so I have to do the same for you."

Toshinori understood now. It was like a duty to his friend. By helping him through his depressive episode, Aizawa was repaying Hizashi for his kindness. It was never about Toshinori. Not really. It was about keeping his word to a friend and now that he saw it, he could accept Aizawa's help. Just as long as it wasn't only for Toshinori's sake.

Time seemed to skip and Aizawa was suddenly under his arms, trying to pull him out of bed. Toshinori wasn't really helping the process but soon enough, they were both standing. The blood rushed to his head and he felt nauseous, but he ignored it. He just had to stay standing for long enough.

Time skipped again and he was at the table, a bowl of his special oatmeal in front of him. When had he gotten to the table? He didn't remember walking down the hall or making breakfast, if you could call it that. He hated his oatmeal, but it was the only thing keeping him alive. He took a few terrible bites before resting his heavy head on the side of the table. He was still so, so tired. Aizawa came to his side and gave him a glass of water. Something to wash away the taste. He took it greedily and gave a nod of thanks to the other. Aizawa obviously knew a thing or two about having to force yourself to eat.

Suddenly, Toshinori was in the shower, leaning against the wall. The water was a lot hotter than he normally turned it, but he didn't mind. It let him focus on something other than the voices. He liked how quiet they were. Maybe he should claim to have a water based quirk so that he never had to get out. The idea almost made him laugh, but he was still too tired.

Finally, Toshinori was sitting on the couch, fully dressed and his hair dried. A pencil was in his hand and the stack of papers he never got around to finishing laid across his coffee table. Aizawa was explaining something to him. Something about keeping an even score number for every question. No, question one could not be worth all of the paper's points.

Then, Toshinori was laughing. He wasn't sure what to. Time was going too fast for him to notice, but it felt nice. No, it was better than nice. It was the best he'd felt since Kamino. Or maybe since his first fight with All For One. It didn't matter, because now, he was happy.

Author's Noted: I hope I gave an actually good representation of depression for those who have it. I know this seems a bit shippy, but be assured, it was all platonic. Unless you don't want to see it that way. It's really up to you. Anyway, I thought this chapter was vital to the story, even though it seems a bit disconnected from the main plot. Enjoy!


	8. Chapter 8

Toshinori knew exactly what he had to do about these new quirks. The voices had started to return after his free day and he noticed them become less vocal and more...physical? That was a good way to describe it.

Whenever Toshinori looked over his student's shoulder to check their paper, he couldn't help but notice their weak spots. Their neck was fully exposed. They sat on their hands, making their defence that much lower. He could strike at any second and they wouldn't see it coming.

It happened when he talked to other teachers as well. When he would ask for help entering grades into the school website, -that was really too complicated to be legal- be would sneak glances at their neck or check their abdomen for easy access places. Hishi was smart. He protected his neck -whether that was intentional or not was a debat- and kept his thick jacket zipped up. His biggest flaw was how much information he freely gave up. He talked openly about his apartment, his jobs, his neighbors, his pets. Anything and everything. Toshinori could probably get his address with the right excuse.

Midnight was the worst of them all. She was so exposed that he could really get her come any angle. Her suit held no defense and her quirk took too long to take effect to stop him. He could easily cut her without her even noticing. The same went for most of them, including Aizawa. Although the black haired hero was a lot better protected and kept him guard up, he still put too much trust in Toshinori. He kept his hands in his pockets, a big mistake to do around a potential threat. His quirk was fast, but if Toshinori drew it out for long enough, Aizawa would have to give up and blink. His capture weapon was a fun facture to think about though. How fast could he throw it? If Toshinori tried to stab him or send a shock through his body, how long would it take for Aizawa to capture him?

When he started feeling the urges again, he had to physically restrain himself. Whenever someone else walked by his chair in the teacher's lounge or confronted him about a question, he had to keep his hands out of sight. He pulled on the fabric of his pants, gripped his chair as tightly as he could and even tried to wrap his hands around his tie. It was getting out of hand.

That's when Toshinori decided to tell Nezu. He had tried -he really did- to keep it to himself. He thought he could handle it, but the urges only got stronger and his fear got worse and worse. Every day, he woke up, wondering if that would be the day he snapped. If he was going to walk into class and do something he didn't want to do.

"I already knew." Was Nezu's only response. Of course he did.

"What do I do?" Toshinori was beyond protecting his pride. He just wanted to end this disaster. Even as he sat in front of the small mammal, he noticed the little things that made Nezy vulnerable. He was small, but fast. He could just- No. Stop it.

"What would you be willing to do? I may be a genius, but I can't know you better than you know yourself."

What was he willing to do? That was a good question. "I can leave. Retire from teaching as well and stay inside. I can always move too. There are plenty of houses for sale in the forest." He listed off the ideas that came to mind. He didn't want to leave, but if he had to, he would. He knew how everyone else would respond, but it was for their safety.

"What about staying in a hospital?" Nezu asked politely.

He hated it. He absolutely hated the idea of staying in a hospital and this would be no normal hospital. They would send him to the looney house within seconds. No. He couldn't do that. Nezu wasn't going to make him, was he? Those dark voices started to sound appealing. No. Stop.

"I didn't think you'd like the idea." Nezu poured a cup of tea. "I don't expect you to willingly go to one either. You've always been bad at listening to instructions." The mouse's tone sounded sharper than usual. At least he was being honest.

"I'm not going to a mental hospital." Toshinori stated plainly. He couldn't handle the thought of it. Stuck in a padded room, wrapped in a jacket and forced to take pill after pill until he died.

Nezu shook his head as if he were talking to a disobedient child. "All Might, I will say. You have always been one of the better humans. You're not arrogant or pretend you know everything the world has to offer; however, you can never clearly see how your choices are simply bad." The mammal got up and started pacing the length of his desk. "After your fight against All For One, you wanted to continue your hero work and look where you turned up. Beyond that, you decided to not show good self care methods and let yourself waste away to a husk. Now, you've decided to finally admit to these deadly urges after three weeks of having them. How can I continue to trust your judgment after such a pattern?"

"I don't care where I go as long as it's not a mental hospital." Toshinori crossed his arms over his chest. Nezu was started to get really annoying. Something in his head tiked like a bomb.

Nezu let out a long breath and turned to look Toshinori in the eyes, a hard stare painted on his face. "Let's assume I let you move out into the country. Who is to say you won't come back? Who's there tos top you from hurting yourself or anyone else? Who is going to keep you away?"

That was a good point. He couldn't really lock himself up without knowing how to get right back out. "I don't know." He admitted and it tasted like bitter defeat. "I have no idea what to do, but I've laid out my options. Anything but a hospital. You should be thankful I'm being so compliant."

Nezu never showed when he was irritated or mad. He never let emotions completely control him, but in a split second, Toshinori could've sworn he saw a glare. "I will let you do as you please. Leave the school and move away if you want, but…" His gaze refocused onto Toshinori. "If you do anything that threatens this school or yourself, I will not hesitate to call a professional."

"That's fair." The pride seemed to die away and Toshinori finally felt like himself again. "I'm sorry, Nezu." he rubbed his hands together to keep the shame from really showing, although he knew Nezu could still see it.

"It's alright, All Might." The principal jumped off of his desk and gave Toshinori a sad look. "I've seen you through thick and thin, but this seems to be the worst it's gotten. You're losing yourself slowly and I dislike letting this happen, but as you said before, there is no choice to top this."

"I said that?" Toshinori let out a soft chuckle.

Nezu gave an insightful smile. "Of course you did." In other words, he didn't. Nezu just knew exactly what he was thinking.

Standing up, Toshinori opened the small door and looked back to his long time friend. "Thank you for allowing me to teach here and...make sure my successor is trained well. I know it's not very fair to shove that responsibility onto someone else but...I need it."

"Perhaps, you should trust a specific teacher to watch him. There are plenty of good options here."

Toshinori gave an empty smile. "Yeah. I'll do that." He walked out of Nezu's office and closed the door behind him. He would give himself one last day to say his goodbyes before leaving. In the meantime, he had to buy a house and talk to Izuku.


	9. Chapter 9

"You wanted to talk to me?" Izuku asked, so oblivious to the plans Toshinori had.

"Yeah." Toshinori said lamely. Was that really all he had to say? "You can sit, if you want."

Izuku gave him a confused look but didn't question it. This was so suspicious and he knew it. How was he supposed to keep something like this from his successor? This wasn't a little secret like in the past. He would much rather tell the boy he's about to die than this. This was too much for him to take at once.

"So, what do you want to talk about?" Toshinori would've laughed, but it wasn't very funny. He didn't want to think about Izuku regretting asking that so soon.

"First, I want to eat lunch and hear from you. What's life been like for you? Anything new?" He knew it was desperate but it was all he could think of.

"Me? Oh. Well, class has been pretty good. The dorms are comfortable and working with Nighteye's been pretty cool. I'm still really surprised I even got in. He's let us into one of his cases, which is really awesome but pretty stressful too. Mirio's a really good hero and smiles at everyone. Oh! Did you know that Bubble Girl's favorite candy was actually not bubble gum? I was pretty surprised about that too. She liked some kind of chocolate bear candy. I don't really-"

Toshinori tried to listen, he really did, but the voices wouldn't leave him alone. _Hurt him. He's busy talking. He wouldn't even see it coming. Just end him, Toshinori. End him. _Stop!

Izuku stopped and Toshinori went rigid. Both stared at each other before someone dared to speak.

"What?" Izuku asked, a look of hurt and shock plain on his fault.

Toshinori almost didn't hear it through his paranoia. Izuku couldn't hear his voices, right? He didn't know the things they said. There was no way he could. "What?" the older of the two copied.

"You told me to stop…" Izuku looked at him as if he were seconds away from exploding.

"I...I did?" When did he say that? He told the voices to stop, but he didn't say anything...out loud. Oh no. Did he just tell Izuku to stop? He must've sounded so angry! No wonder his boy was so shocked.

"Did I say something bad?"

"No! No, you're fine! You're perfect! It was my bad! I was talking to myself, no you!" Toshinori waved his hands in the air like he was trying to swat a fly.

"Yourself? All Might, are you okay?"

Oh no. Toshinori let his head drop into his open palms. This wasn't meant to be such a mess. He just wanted to listen to his boy talk and enjoy himself before he ruined everything. He had tried to drag the conversation out, letting the real reason why he called Izuku in fade into the back of their minds, but he'd failed. He failed terribly.

"All might?"

He had to make a choice. It was now or never. He should really tell Izuku about these quirks and the voices. It didn't matter how his boy saw him. He was leaving anyway. It would hurt the boy less if he just told the truth, right? Or would it hurt worse? Knowing how weak his favorite hero was. So weak that he would have to leave for the sake of everyone else. So weak, that he would give into these horrible urges.

"Izuku." He sat up straight, looking his boy in the eyes. Izuku stared back, the intensity of those green eyes magnifying tenfold. "I have something to tell you. You...aren't going to like it and neither do I, but I have no choice in this…"

"All Might, what's going on?" The way he phrased it Toshinori's heartache. Izuku was right not to trust him.

"I'm leaving UA." The bomb dropped and Toshinori ran for cover.

Izuku stared at him for a very long time, as if he hadn't said anything. When the green haired boy did speak, it was in a soft whisper. He was obviously close to tears. "W...what?"

"I'm leaving UA." He repeated. "I quite, found a house in another city. I'll probably live there for the rest of my short life. Maybe I'll collect plants or baseball cards. I won't come to visit anyone and won't answer any calls either. I'm moving away from civilization and never coming back." He felt so much more angry than he sounded.

Izuku stood up and looked at Toshinori with a mixture of expressions. The strongest one was likely anger. Or hatred. Either worked. "What?! How-what?! You're just going to get up and leave?! Now?! You haven't even been teaching a full year yet! You can't leave! Everyone needs you!"

"You really don't. Trust me-"

"No! I can't just trust you! I can never trust you! You didn't tell me that you're going to die so why would I trust you now?! You didn't even tell me before now!"

"I'm trying to protect you, Izuku. You don't understand how risky it is to let you know some things."

"You're not even telling me why you're leaving! Don't I at least get to know why you're deciding to just abandon me?! I'm supposed to be your Successor!"

"Stop yelling at me!" Toshinori stood up as well, glaring down at the teenager, but that didn't seem to intimidate him at all. If anything, it made him more upset.

"No! I won't stop because I'm mad! I'm mad at you and lately, I've been mad at you a lot! I was one of the last people to know about your future, your quirks and now this! I'm trying to learn from you, but all I see are the lies and secret! You're supposed to be a hero but I don't know if you can even be that!"

Toshinori wasn't sure what to do. Izuku's anger was only fueling his own and the voices kept getting louder and louder. He could barely hear himself think through all of the chaos so he did all he could think. "Get out." He spoke in a soft but stern voice. He put all the frustration and anger that's been building for so long into his glare and watched Izuku's face turn from mad to scared.

"Wait...What?"

_Where was that anger now, Izuku? What happened to those hateful words you seemed so passionate about? Do you still think I'm a failure, or are you too scared? _Toshinori pointed to the door and growled out his response. "Get. Out."

Izuku didn't move.

"Go!" Toshinori shouted, and finally, Izuku left. He gathered his book bag and ran like a scared cat. He didn't dare glance back.

Once the door closed, Toshinori sat again, his emotions going numb again. He let out a long sigh and ran a hand over his face. What had he done?

…

Toshinori stared at the plain wood door in front of him. He wanted to knock but wasn't really sure if the person he wanted was behind it. True, he had watched Aizawa walk inside, but he didn't know if his coworker had any secret passageways. An illogical thought, but it wasn't impossible.

Right when he was about to knock, the door opened. Aizawa leaned against the frame with an expectant frown. "Were you going to stand there until I walked out?"

Oh. right. Their doors had little peep holes. He should've known that. "Um, maybe? I just wanted to talk to you." Toshinori rubbed the back of his head. This wasn't going very well.

"I thought so. Well, if it's going to take you just as long to get it out as it did to knock, then you might want to come inside." Aizawa pushed the wider and walked inside first. Not the best guest manners, but Toshinori didn't really care.

The blond walked inside and closed the door behind him. He took a few minutes to examine his surroundings. Aizawa's room had the same structure as his own, but it was considerably less messy. Really, there wasn't anything to really get messy. The kitchen was bare along with the rest of the seeable area. The only thing Aizawa had actually put up was a hook on the wall and a few extra pillows. As Toshinori walked, he saw a kitten picture just next to the door but it wasn't framed. Had Aizawa just tapped a photo of his cat onto the wall?

"I'm not hiding any bodies, if that's what you're looking for." Aizawa commented from on the couch, a cup of something dark in his hand.

Usually, Toshinori would be embarrassed to get caught examining his house, but right now, he was just tired. Instead of responding, he sat next to the dark haired hero and laid back. Their couched were both trash, but at least Aizawa had a blanket laid across the cushions. Not that Toshinori planned on sleeping on his couch. That would be weird. Really weird.

"I'm quitting teaching." Toshinori decided to just rip the figurative band-aid off.

Aizawa spit out a mouthful of coffee. At least is smelled like coffee.

"It's for a personal reason and Nezu agrees with me. I can't bring anyone else with me either." He wanted to get the essentials over to avoid extra questions.

"Why on earth would you tell me that after I take a drink?"

That wasn't the question Toshinori expected, but he didn't mind it. If anything, he preferred it. "Sorry."

They stayed in silence until Aizawa finished his cup, then, the dark haired male turned to him with a heavy gaze. "What is your personal reason?"

It was a blunt question and Toshinori wasn't really expecting it, but it wasn't surprising either. "well...It's kind of hard to talk about."

"It must be really bad for someone like you to quit." Aizawa turned back toward the small TV positioned on the other side of the room. Why did Aizawa own a TV?

"What do you mean, 'someone like me'?" the urges got stronger.

"You would never stop teaching unless it was life threatening. And not for you, but for everyone else. What kind of trouble did you get yourself tangled in?"

He wasn't wrong and...it really wouldn't heart to tell him. Unlike Izuku, Aizawa knew how to keep a secret. He was a well trained underground hero and if anyone would have information on suddenly wanting to kill your friends, it would be him. Well, that was a bit of a stretch, but he was someone Toshinori could trust.

"Is it some kind of illegal crap?" Aizawa's voice dragged him out of his thoughts.

"What? Oh, well...not technically. Or, maybe not _yet_." How illegal was it to plan his coworker's deaths?

"I've probably heard worse, but you don't really have to tell me."

Toshinori found himself actually wanting to tell him. It would get this off his chest and if he told Aizawa, then he wouldn't feel like he needed to tell anyone else. "It's about these quirks that sprang up suddenly."

"Hizashi owes me."

"What?" Did they…

"We made a bet on why you're so upset. He thought it was menopause."

A part of Toshinori wanted to get mad at him for betting on someone else's problems, but he couldn't help but laugh. "That wasn't too bad of a guess."

"What's wrong with your quirks?"

Talking to Aizawa was starting to feel like a roller coaster. He didn't seem like someone who tolerated a lot of small talk to the side of a bigger conversation, but he was also the one to start that small talk. A note for later. "Do you know the quirk of the villain I defeated in Kamino?"

That seemed to catch Aizawa's attention. "It let him take other's quirks and store them."

"Right. Well, when he takes quirks, they get affected with his own, making them both more powerful and corrupted. It's like a part of him is with whoever he gives a quirk to. That's how he managed to build his own empire near the beginning of the quirks _and_ how he made his Nomus."

"He gave you those quirks."

Toshinori nodded sadly. He let Aizawa process the new information. He was smart and could probably guess what was going on now. Toshinori almost laughed when he let out a soft curse. "It's safer for me to be away from everyone else."

"How bad is it?"

The question caught him off guard. "What?"

"How close are you to becoming one of those Nomus?"

That was a good question. "Well, I'm not completely sure I will get to that point. There's a chance I will, but the Nomu's were mainly made from quirk overload. They had too many quirks to handle at once and since I was quirkless when he gave me these quirks, it's not too much for me...But it's still really bad."

Aizawa paused for a second before nodding. "You told Nezu first." It wasn't a question. "Does anyone else know?"

"Not to this extent. I told Izuku that I was leaving permanently, but that's it."

He heard Aizawa breathe out something that sounded like 'obviously' but Toshinori didn't care. He didn't really care about much now.

"What about your...when I helped you a few weeks ago. Was that normal for you or…"

"I don't know anymore. I haven't felt like that since then but I can't say it won't happen again."

"Then can I visit you? If you're leaving alone then who's going to help you if that happens again?"

Toshinori honestly didn't think of that, but at the same time, it didn't matter. He wouldn't be living much longer no matter where he was, so why would his few depressive episodes really matter? "I'll kill you." He stated it as a fact. After a few days, he would completely lose himself.

"What if I didn't care?"

"Aizawa!" Toshinori couldn't help the shout that left his mouth.

"You're still Yagi and will continue to be until you die. If you call me, I'll come to your location. If you want me to take care of you, I'm willing. If you want to kill me, then I'll just have to be smart."

It made no sense. How could Aizawa care enough about him to risk his own life like that? He was willing to face Toshinori at his worst no matter what it looked like? He wouldn't treat Toshinori like some kind of mutation of a human, even if he held a blade to his throat? Something wet landed on his hand and he looked down to find a teardrop. When had he started crying?

Strong arms wrapped around Toshinori's shoulders and he let himself fall into the embrace. For the first time in a very long time, the voices were dead silent.


	10. Chapter 10

Toshinori shoved his cardboard box into the back seat of the taxi. He had already packed everything he owned away and left whatever was left to the students. He never got another chance to talk to Izuku, but maybe it was better this way. If Izuku was mad at him, then he wouldn't cry when Toshinori finally died.

He'd already told Aizawa to inform the students for him. He couldn't handle being around so many people at once anymore. He was nervous about spending an hour driving to his new home as it was. He didn't need the added stress.

"You ready?" The driver asked, looking at him with a friendly smile. It was likely a fake friendliness for a bigger tip. It was disgusting.

"Oh, yes. Sorry to keep you waiting." Toshinori slid into the back seat and closes the car door with a sharp snap. The driver gave an off handed comment about slamming doors before starting the car and driving away from the school. He watched the familiar buildings get further and further away until it was completely covered by the buildings surrounding it. He would never be able to go back to school again but that was for the best. Leaving everyone who still cared about him was for the best.

Toshinori gasped at the sudden pain in his chest and tried to cover his wet coughs. The driver said something, but he couldn't hear it. All he could hear was the ringing in his heart. His heart burned like a raging fire and it only got worse. No matter how he tried to rip his chest open to allow relief, it didn't help. Nothing helped. It continued to get hotter and hotter until it finally, finally burst and relief washed over him. Such sweet relief. He sank in his seat and let himself relax. He felt amazing, now that the burning had masses. He assumed it was one of the quirks All For One gave him. There was no way this could happen twice without it being a quirk. He felt like he could jump above the buildings as All Might again, but of course, that was impossible.

"Do I have to pull over and give you CPR?"

What? Oh, he must've asked if Toshinori was alright, which he definitely didn't reply to. "No, no. I apologize for the scare."

"Are you sure? It sounded pretty bad…"

"I'm perfectly...fine." Toshinori turned his gaze away from the driver in the seat in front of him, trying to track what was wrong now. He felt perfectly fine, physically, but the voices began screaming, like they were warning him. They screamed to kill the driver. He was going to crash the car and kill them both if he didn't. Toshinori didn't want to believe it, but something inside him was so insistent. He felt anxious, not knowing where to put his hands. They were too shaky to get a good grip on the box on his lap. The voices got louder and he tried to cover his ears, but that only made them louder. Their words bounced around this head endlessly, like chords building on a piano, but these chord haunted his very soul. They built and built and Toshinori did the only thing he knew would stop the torture.

He reached over the front seat of the taxi and dug his fingers into the man's neck. The car swerved but his grip kept him in place. The car jolted and Toshinori landed on the car seat, glass raining over him. He couldn't register if he was cut, but it didn't matter. The voices were still screaming that man wasn't dead yet. When he sat up, he saw the front of the car bent around a lamp post. The dash board was completely destroyed and the driver had a line of blood running down from his temple. He looked like he was unconscious. Now was his chance.

Toshinori looked at his overturned box and found a large shard of glass. It was roughly the size of a dinner knife but it would work. He picked it up, held it tightly in his hand -his fingers and palm stung, but he didn't pay much mind to that- and returned his attention to his victim. The airbag hadn't gone off and a small, minuscule part of him hoped the man was already dead. In the end, it wouldn't matter.

The world drown in silence as he thrust the shard forward, ending the man's life. The voices were dead silent and all Toshinori could do was sit there, the shard now dripping with a mixture of their blood. He could see the blue and red lights from the rear-view mirrors. He had to leave now.

Life flashed by in a blur. At some point, Toshinori had opened the door and ran into the nearest alley way. The police had just rounded the corner by the time he got away. There was a crowd forming around the scene, but no one looked his direction. He was safe. He felt his back hit the wall of brick behind him and he slid down to the ground. The hand that had held the shard shook uncontrollably. A long cut ran along the underside of his fingers and down the little of his palm. He watched the blood roll with a morbid interest.

When the realization of the event sunk in fully, Toshinori couldn't help but laugh. It was really so simple. Funny, even. He had just murdered an innocent person. He didn't even have a reason for doing it, but it felt so...euphoric. It was a blissful feeling. He had finally killed someone. Sure, he had been the cause of deaths before. Villains threatening innocent lives for his sake, not arriving at a disaster fast enough to save those who couldn't save themselves, but this was different. He had been the direct cause of this death. He had been the one to do it, and that made it so special. This was his fault and he loved it.

…

Toshinori found a pattern after killing a stray dog by the side of the alley way -he had wanted to feel that bliss again. Whenever he kill someone or something, the voices stop. When he gives into their words, they no longer temp him. This revelation alone was enough to change his entire existence. Well, at least for the past few weeks. If he had just given into the urges the first time, he wouldn't have suffered like that. Now, he knew better. Now, he understood exactly what he was and had to be. He never had a choice in this, but he was almost surprised that he didn't care.

Once the good feeling from killing the second stray wore off, he decided to try something insane. He would break into Tartarus and kill his only real enemy. He wanted to kill All For One, but before he could do that, he needed a plan. Really, he needed somewhere to stay as well. His senses began flooding in and Toshinori realized how silly it sounded. He was in no state to break into Tartarus. At least not yet.

The walk to his destination was short but quick. He didn't want to get spotted and ever since Kamino, he'd become increasingly easy to spot. If the police were searching for him, it would be difficult to blend into the crowd, even with a disguise. Once Toshinori got to the small building, he knocked politely and waited patiently for the door to open. , his old neighbor, opened it with a wide some and held a shaky hand out to him.

"Yagi? It that you?" She squinted at him, even with her large, round glasses on. She really did have terrible vision. That made her an easy target.

"I apologize for my unexpected visit, but I've found myself in need of good hospitality." He gave her his most pitiful grin, making a point of rubbing the back of his neck.

"Oh! You're always welcome into my home, Yagi." The old woman said as she pushed the door open and began walking inside with her walker. "What happened to your teaching job?"

"I'm afraid I wasn't quite what they wanted…" His words were soaked in helplessness and disappointment.

"Oh, that's a shame. You were so excited to teach those little kids. Well, maybe you could try again somewhere else. It's the school's loss, really." Her words would've been comforting, if he were a complete idiot. If he had been fired from UA, he would've been absolutely distraught. This woman needed a lesson or two about comfort. It was like she wasn't even trying. Honestly, she was lucky he didn't plan to kill her until her use had expired. The voices whispered to end her now, just to rid the world of her poor sympathy skills, but he refused. He had to be patient now. If he rushed this, he might end up the way All For One did, and that would do him no good.

sat him down with a warm cup of tea, something soothing for his scar, although it no longer hurt. He took it like a gentlemen but dared to glare at her when her back was turned. Everything about her irritated him to no end. The way she waddled even with the help of her walker, the way her S's hurt his ears, the way she couldn't quite reach the cabinets and _dared_ to ask for his help. He was her guest. Why on earth had he come to her for hospitality? She obviously knew nothing about manners, but Toshinori had to keep up his good image. He gave her a warm smile and reached the small plate easily, even offering to carry the plate now filled with small cookies back to the coffee table. She gave him a soft nod and slowly made her way back. Each of her steps was about the size of his entire food and it took a good three minutes to cross two meters.

Once they were both seated again, Toshinori told her the sad story of his evening. He faked having to pause to gather himself emotionally, covering his eyes with both hands until she took his in hers, both of their hands shaking now.

Before she could say anything, she gasped and traced her shaky fingers along his fresh wounds. "Oh dear! What ever happened to you?! This isn't good at all." She seemed to grab a first aid kit out of nowhere and addressed his wounds with the bare minimum treatment. He didn't hiss when the alcohol wipe slide deep into his flesh. The pain reminded him of his beautiful murder and he couldn't hold back a smile. That didn't seem to be the reaction wanted.

"Why are you smiling, Yagi?" She gave him a puzzled look. Her confusion stopped his treatment, the band-aid hanging off of his fingers.

"Hm? Am I?" His lips betrayed his and spread wider, giving her his best smile, but he knew it wasn't the same. This smile was full of pride and darkness, he could feel it. The look on the woman's face turned from confused to afraid. It wasn't enough. He wanted her to be horrified. Haunted by this very look until the end of her worthless days. He drew his hand away and finished wrapping the bandage around his long finger. He could still see the cuts in four other foreigners, but he didn't want to hide those. Those were marks of success, like the statue that sat inside of Kamino.

"What...why are you looking at me like that?" Her lip trembled violently and it made a laugh roll from Toshinori's chest. He stood up slowly, straightening his black suit and returned his gaze to her. She seemed to shrink under his gaze. When he moved to take a step closer to her, she panicked. "Don't touch me!" She screeched and tried to get off of the couch, but her walker slid away from her grasp and she fell onto the floor. A pained groan fell out of her lips and Toshinori knew he couldn't resist anymore. He was thoroughly addicted to the way she shook and quivered, desperate to get away from him.

"You bother me, ." He admitted aloud. It was like taking a breath of fresh air. "You bother me with everything you do, so I have to kill you."

She didn't scream, likely didn't have the energy from her fall. She tried to crawl away, but her limbs were too slow and old. She started crying when he took her by the neck and easily lifted her. She gagged and choked in his tight grip, her eyes bulging and face turning colors. He watched her flail and try to break his grip, but she was no match for his strength enhancer quirk. She even tried using her Long Tongue quirk to pull his hands away from her, but nothing worded. She was forced to suffer a full minute, suspended in the air by only her neck, air barely passing to her lungs. It was beautiful to watch. Once her lips had turned purple and her eyes rolled back, he finally ended it. Something snapped and 's body fell onto the floor in a heap.

Toshinori knelt next to the dead woman's ear and smirked, pulling her face to look at his. "Welcome to the new age of villains."

Author's noted: Sorry for updating so late! Life has been a bit crazy lately and I didn't have any time to write. Thank you all for being patient and waiting for this chapter. It was amazing to write and I hope you guys enjoyed it.


	11. Chapter 11

It seemed no matter how hard Toshinori tried, he could never finish his plan to break into Tartarus. There was always something in his way.

First, it was the fact he didn't know every person who worked there. He didn't know their shifts, their quirks or who they were. He didn't even know where to start looking for that kind of information. Online hackers made looking up personal information so easy. Honestly! How did someone just take over someone else's account, let alone find out enough about that person to know whose account it was! Maybe he was looking too deep into it. He didn't need to know everything about everyone that worked at Tartarus, just the people who worked the night shift. They likely kept some good quirks in their ranks.

Second was the fact he still had no idea how to use technology. If he thought the programs UA used for their grading was complicated, social media was far worse. The few names he had collected from his past experience in Tartarus lead him nowhere. He found a few pictures on some random search engine, but that was about it. No family, address. Nothing. How did villains figure things out so well?

The third and last thing standing in Toshinori's way was the simple fact that he lacked the ability to blend in. He had never really been invited to a stealth mission for a reason. He was loud, bold and strong. The closest thing he had experience to a stealth mission was Kamino and he wasn't even the one doing the sneaking. In fact, no one was doing any spanking. They literally knocked on the League's front door and broke down a wall. Just thinking about it made him cringe.

All Three of those simple yet terrible facts were enough to make him desperate. He knew he needed to get into Tartarus to kill All For One. The voices were never satisfied. A part of him hoped that would be his last kill, but he knew it wouldn't. The voices would never shut up no matter how hard many people he murdered. That was the frustrating part of it. The voices never let the bliss of his actions stay for long enough. Toshinori didn't like the craving, the hunger for it. He only liked the satisfaction.

A bandaged hand ran through Toshinori's hair. His computer gave him no answers, so he closed the lid with a satisfying snap. He had been at work for hours, trying to find something useful. What a waste of valuable time. Then again, the police had no idea where he was. Perhaps they weren't even looking for him. He had all the time in the world. All For One surely wasn't going anywhere.

Toshinori's head fell into his open palms. He suddenly felt so tired. The voices were a constant drone in the back of his mind, just loud enough to irritate him. He felt like throwing something, destroying something. Killing someone.

No. He had to show self control. He had spent the entire day yesterday giving into his urges. Today, he would be good. Today, he had work to do. It took nearly all night to hide 's body. There was no good place to put it. He wanted to use the house for as long as he could afford but he also hated the smell of her. The old blood was much less appealing after it had turned dark and brown.

The old woman had no backyard so burying her was out of the question. Besides, that was what the police expected him to do. Honestly, who buried their achievements anyway?

Toshinori conclusion was to put her in his back tub for the time being. She was easy enough to avoid and he didn't have to shower yet. If he needed to, he could easily stand over her. She was a short woman and his added height made the situation almost perfect. This morning, when he brushed his teeth with her toothbrush, -he had washed her disgusting germs from it beforehand- he stared at the blood stains on the shower curtain and decided to clean the rest of the blood that the useless woman had left. What a mess.

Now, hours later and in a clean house, Toshinori walked to the small kitchen to make himself a cup of tea. He wasn't surprised to see that owned a lot of food. She was a fat woman, after all. He didn't have much use for that much food, but he didn't want to waste it either. What if he had to stay inside for months on end? He needed something to eat, even if his nonexistent stomach didn't require much. One look in the cupboard lead him to his prize. Three full boxes of tea. Perfect. Toshinori took them off the shelf and began heating a kettle of water.

While the water boiled, he thought through his options. He couldn't finish his plan by himself. That much he knew. He lacked both the skills and know-about for this mission. In all aspects, he was really the worst for something like this. That didn't mean, however, that he didn't have friends who were perfect for this. Of course, they wouldn't agree to killing someone, but they didn't have to. In fact, if he found that they did, he might have to end them as well. Just thinking of someone taking his kill made him mad enough to smash a mug. It was an ugly mug anyway.

Toshinori stepped over the mess and began thinking through the people he knew. He couldn't use Nezu to his advantage. Not only did the mouse not share his set of morals -his new set, anyway- but he was also frustrating. The way he knew everything, treated him like he knew nothing. It was all so wrong. The voices echoed the words over and over to confirm his observation. No. Nezu wasn't an option.

He couldn't ask Naomasa either. He would likely end up in a mental hospital and that was no good. He couldn't kill anyone in a mental hospital, let alone his target. Naomasa was also a detective and would likely be on Toshinori's case. No, he didn't need to alert the police about his plans. Naomasa wasn't an option either.

Toshinori didn't jump when the kettle began whistling. He simply turned the stove off, poured the steaming liquid into a cup and slipped the bag in as well. 's cups were awful small and ugly, but he had to live with it. To think he called these same cups cute at one point. Disgusting. Everything about his past self was disgusting. The way he used to smile at people like they were worth his time. The way he let others see him at his lowest. The way he willingly gave himself up for nothing. He didn't even use his salary from his hero work. The only money he used came from his deals with advertising companies. Absolutely disgusting.

The bag was removed from the cup and thrown into the trash can. Toshinoir took a long sip of his tea and returned to the living room. Gran Torino wasn't an option. He was a retired hero and would likely turn him in. Nighteye has long hated him and would do the same as everyone else. Honestly, the mad probably knew this was going to happen. He always seemed to know everything. Such a nuisance. Just like Nezu. And the media dared to called Nighteye the brains of their operation. He wasn't an idiot in any sense. Nighteye couldn't do half of the job. He was a terrible side kick. Toshinori wondered why he even tolerated the man's presence. No, Nighteye was definitely not an option.

The list of 'friends' Toshinori had started getting shorter and shorter. He was left with those he met at UA. Izuku was immediately out of the picture. He would never turn to that boy for help. 13 was a rescue hero and wasn't the most skilled with technology either. At least not the technology he needed skills in. Snipe wasn't much for stealth either, his guns would attract too much attention. Present Mic was neither quiet or stealthy, but he did know his way around technology. Really, he was a smarter person than most people gave him credit for. The man worked three jobs as if it were the easiest thing in the world.

Ectoplasm could be stealthy and was relatively quiet. He was one of the best bets for this mission. Perhaps he could...no. Not Ectoplasm. He knew exactly who he needed for this mission, and he had their phone number saved on his phone as well. Toshinori took all of three seconds opening his phone and pulling up his contacts. He pressed on the name he was looking for and waited for their response.

It took almost three rings before the other picked up.

"Yagi." AIzawa's voice held both shock and relief. The phone speaker made his voice crackle like he was speaking through something. Toshinori didn't like the way it sounded against the voices.

"Aizawa." Toshinori sang through the phone. He knew it would get him nowhere, but he didn't plan on doing anything over the phone anyway. "How have you been? It's been a little while, hasn't it?"

"You're not where you're supposed to be."

So blunt. "And how would you know that, Aizawa? It's not like Nezu put a tracker on my personal phone just in case I came into the city, right?" Toshinori smiled to himself. He had noticed that little tracker the moment he left UA.

"What do you want?"

Avoiding the questions. A good technique, but Toshinori was a master at that strategy. He let it slide this once. "Before I left, I remember you saying you'd help me if ever I needed it. Do you remember that?"

"That was three days ago, Yagi. yes, I remember that."

"Well, I need help." Toshinori couldn't help but smile to himself. The smile went away immediately when the voices got louder again. They told him to invite Aizawa over. They wanted to know how he looked covered in his own blood. So did Toshinori, but he needed to show patience.

Aizawa took a while to respond. He heard a soft curse through the speaker then the other male's voice was back. "Are you sure you need me?"

It was so strange, hearing actual emotion in the man's voice. It was like trying a new kind of tea. The taste wasn't quite what he expected it to be, a bit too sweet at first, but he would grow to like it. "Yes." Toshinori's playful tone left. "I need you, Aizawa." He made it sound pained, like he was actually in pain, even if he felt better than he had for nearly six years.

"Then I'll come over. I need your location though. It'll take longer for me to find you without it."

Ah. Those were the skills he needed. If anyone could find him without a direct address, it was Aizawa. Toshinori wondered how he had gotten so lucky to get such an amazing deal with an underground hero. "The fifth house on 7th street going west." A direct address was too easy to find. Then again, so was his description.

The call ended and Toshinori sat back. Now, he just had to wait. The address he gave was technically his neighbor's three doors down, but he could just walk outside when Aizawa arrived. It would take a half hour for him to get there from UA, to Toshinori decided to get up and check 's body again.

As he walked to the bathroom down the hall, the voices began screaming. They told him that was alive and was going to kill him. They said the police were going to find him. They said that he was going to die. Toshinori tried to scream back, begging them to stop. He ran into the bathroom to prove to them that the old woman was dead. He threw the curtain to the floor and checked her heart beat. It still wasn't enough. The voices said she could pretend. They needed more. More proof.

He ran to her garage to get the saw and returned to the same scene. She still hasn't moved. They were wrong. They didn't believe him. They didn't believe him when he sawed off her arms and she didn't scream. They didn't believe him when he held her cold heart in his hand. They didn't believe him when he threw it against the wall either.

She's alive. She'll kill you, Toshinori. She's going to call the police and they'll take you to a mental hospital. Run, Toshinori. Run.

Toshinori stood outside of the small house, blood painted on his hand and knees. He couldn't breathe, but he still ran. He wasn't sure where he was going or where he would end up, but he had to run. It didn't matter that the neighbors would question him. They would be dead too, soon enough. They would die. They would all die. They would-

Cold hands held Toshinori face and he nearly screamed. His eyes couldn't focus on one thing. All he saw was a series of black spots and they were trying to stop him. They must be the police. They caught him. He was going to get thrown into a cell and die there. He was never going to see the sun again. He was never going to breathe again.

"Yagi!" A voice yelled, but it didn't sound like the voices in his head. This one was clear, loud. It didn't tell him horrible things. No, this voice sounded nice. He liked this voice. "Yagi, calm down!"

"They're going to catch me!" He panted out, his one lung starting to ache and burn with overuse. "They'll send me to a mental hospital."

The cold hands gently guided him away from wherever he was but Toshinori started pulling away. He didn't want to leave this place. He was safe here. The police couldn't find him here.

"Yagi, you're safe with me." The voice pulled his hand again. Or maybe it was something else. Voices couldn't pull him, could they?

As Toshinori followed that gentle pull, he felt his foot hit something new before a door closed. Then, the lights went on again. When had they gone out?

"You're safe with me, Yagi."

Aizawa? When had Aizawa gotten here? Now that Toshinori could see, he looked around his surroundings. He was in 's living room again. Aizawa held his hands close, like they were seconds from breaking. Both of their hands were covered in blood and a few drips covered the other man's face. Then, Toshinori realized what had happened, at least some of it. He had dismembered the body in his bathtub and ran out into the street. Aizawa found him and returned him home.

"How did you know to bring me here?" He hadn't given Aizawa the right address.

"You came running out of this house. Besides, I didn't trust the address you gave from the start."

That made sense. "Do you know who's blood this is?" He hoped he didn't. He hoped Aizawa never knew whose blood this was.

"It doesn't matter, Yagi. Right now, you have to lay down. You had some kind of panic attack and it's not good to walk around after."

Toshinori did feel tired. He let Aizawa lay him onto the small couch and let the world swirl and turn around him. It made his dizzy, but he didn't focus on it. Something wet touched his hand and he flinched away.

"I'm cleaning the blood." Aizawa whispered.

Toshinori gave a soft nodded and let himself fall asleep. He could worry about it when he woke up. Right now, he just wanted to sleep.

Author's notes: if you guys think I should change the rating of this story, tell me. I'm trying to keep it nicer but I don't want my story taken down or my account deleted.


	12. Chapter 12

Aizawa washed the blood from Yagi's hands slowly, trying not to look at the cuts on the man's hand. When had he gotten cut? Better yet, why was he here? Yagi was supposed to move into a small house far away from the city.

With a sigh, Aizawa stood up and began looking around the house. He knew Yagi wasn't in an ideal mental state. The man had barely been able to control himself his last day at UA. Just two days later and he was having a panic attack. Whatever was going on, he needed to figure it out. The wreck yesterday had been along his patrol route and the police didn't think much of it. They didn't know that the box left in the back seat was Yagi's. Aizawa could recognize that cheesy All Might mug from anywhere.

The house was pretty bare, but something about it was off. It didn't seem like Yagi's style to put pictures of someone else's family on his walls or have so many small cacti. Of course, what did he know? Maybe Yagi loved small plants and other people's families.

When Aizawa walked into the kitchen, he paused and stared at the floor. Either Yagi was both clumsy and lazy or something was wrong. No one in their right mind keeps broken glass on the floor. Then again, Yagi wasn't in the best mental state. Other than the cup, the kitchen was completely fine. No dropped knives or blood stains in sight. Aizawa flinched when he heard Yagi shift on the couch. He made a note to keep an eye on him. He didn't know what Yagi was capable of and didn't want to get caught off guard. He had mentioned the possibility of wanting to kill him in the past. It was just a good idea to keep his guard up, even if the man was asleep.

Aizawa walked into the hall and checked a few doors. One lead down to a cold basement but all of the lights were off. Deciding it was worth the risk, Aizawa flipped the light switch and headed down. The basement wasn't bigger than a bedroom but it had everything that didn't belong on the putter floor. A washer and dryer, laundry basket -they were filled with clothes that weren't Yagi's- and a few other gardening tools. After close inspection, he could safely say there was nothing in the basement that was unusual. It made Aizawa anxious. There was too much wrong with Yagi for this house to be perfectly fine. Something had to be out of order.

Yagi was still asleep when he came back up from the basement. Good. Aizawa turned down the hall and tried a few doors. The bedroom he walked into wasn't Yagi's. The bed sheets had flower patterns and the curtains were made of a nearly transparent fabric. Yagi was never one to buy something so...loud. Sure, the man himself could get fairly loud but the few times Aizawa had gone into his room at UA, everything was plain and boring. Not far from his own room.

This was not Yagi's house, but this was the house Yagi had ran out of earlier. Didn't the man live in an old apartment? Hizashi had mentioned something about it when he went to help Yagi move into the new UA dorms. Or maybe that was 13. Someone had an apartment. The longer Aizawa spent rethinking the facts, the worse he felt. In the end, it didn't matter who lived in an apartment. If this wasn't Yagi's house, then who's was it?

Aizawa jumped when the air vents began blowing warm air into the room. He still didn't have enough evidence to call the police or file a case. Aizawa let out a long sigh and rubbed at his dry eyes. They still stung from using his quirk during Yagi's panic attack. He stood up and put a few eye drops into his eyes. After wiping away the excess fluid, he began searching again. When he stood in the hall, something about the bathroom pulled to him. Just the way the door was closed shut made him feel sick. There was something in that bathroom and he really didn't want to know, but he was a hero. He couldn't cower away from duty with so much on the line.

The steps Aizawa took are slow and calculated, as if he expected to get caught in a trap. A lesson he had learned early on in his underground work was that insane people had no norm. They were spontaneous and unpredictable. He was incredibly careful as he walked across the hall, opening the bathroom door with a soft click. The moment the door opened, he could smell it. He hoped with every fiber in his body that it wasn't what he thought. This wasn't his first search in a crazy man's house, but this wasn't just some crazy person. This was Yagi. Yagi wouldn't really fall to that level...would he?

The scene beyond the bathroom door was too sick to describe. There was a body in the bathtub, still partially clothed and Aizawa recognized her from the family pictures in the hall. She looked about 60. Her shirt was torn where the rest of her had been cut. No, it was a saw. He could see the weapon laying in the sink. There was so much blood. He could smell the rich iron so prominently that it made his head ache. His stomach flipped and he gagged. Her heart was on the floor, just a few inches from his foot.

Aizawa felt a shrill of dread run down his spine. Someone was behind him. Someone was watching him. Slowly, he turned and stared at Yagi's glaring eyes. When had he woken up? When had he walked over to the bathroom? It didn't matter, because now, he was trapped. There was no window in the bathroom and Yagi stood in front of his only exit.

"Beautiful, isn't it?" Yagi spoke as if he were discussing modern art. It was disgusting.

"B-Beautiful?" Aizawa tried to keep the nausea from rising up his throat. It hurt to stand.

"Yes. She was so ugly before, trust me. Now, well, she's just short of perfection. The shade of red really does spread, doesn't it? I'd say it was my best work, but I'd be lying. The first was far better."

It was the way Yagi spoke, so calm and collected. Like he didn't care that he had murdered someone. Another living person. Innocent most likely. He had gone absolutely insane and Aizawa needed to get him away from this neighborhood. "What other works?" He risked taking a step forward. Yagi didn't move to attack. That was a good sign. If he could distract him, maybe he could capture him for long enough to get backup. This wasn't going to be a mission he did alone.

"Yes. My very first kill. It was so smooth, almost perfect as well. I cut a taxi driver's throat after he crashed. It felt so...blissful doesn't quite explain it. Like...this was what my life was meant for. This shade of red and these urges...they're so beautiful. I can't believe I lived so long without them."

Aizawa couldn't bring himself to move. The smell of decay made him gag again and Yagi seemed to ignore it. Or maybe he never noticed in the first place. This entire situation sent wave after wave of dread through his body. He felt like he might die from the over stimulation.

"Oh! I almost forgot the reason I even called you over." Yagi laughed to himself and the reminder made Aizawa shiver. He really didn't want to know why Yagi called, but he had to get out of the bathroom.

"Let's go to the living room...please." He couldn't help the desperation.

"Of course! Come with me!" yagi said something as they walked down the short hall to the living room but Aizawa didn't listen. He's too busy trying to keep his nerves calm. If he seems like he's about to call for backup, then Yagi will kill him. No. This couldn't be Yagi. There was such a thing as a shape shifting quirk. This could be a disgusting illusion.

They sit on opposite sides of the couch while Yagi opens his computer. There's only a search engine open, ready to search for whatever he needs to find. "You know about my relationship with All For One, the villain I defeat in Kamino."

The question takes Aizawa completely by surprise. "Yes. He's been an underground lord for longer than I've been alive. He's caused countless deaths and holds one of the biggest quirk harvesting systems in the world. Well, he did. You already know about most of that though." Aizawa had taken it upon himself to research the villain after Kamino, just in case. The number of cases that lead straight to him was shocking for lack of a better term.

The look Yagi gave him made him stop. Had he said something wrong? No. It looked like he had just said he bought Yagi a kitten. "You're perfect."

Aizawa only stared. What had he just said? "I'm...what?"

"You're perfect! You see, I have this mission but I don't have the skills to do it alone. You know how to find out information like that about anyone, you can sneak past security cameras of all generations and you're probably one of the best underground heroes there is! You're absolutely perfect for my mission!"

That almost relieved feeling left immediately. What kind of mission could Yagi possibly be thinking of? "What mission?"

"I plan to break into Tartarus and kill All For One."

That's it. Aizawa knew better than to provoke someone insane, but this was too much for him to handle. THis couldn't possibly still be Yagi. "You're crazy." He challenged.

Yagi's light mood changed immediately. "Crazy? I doubt hardly call it crazy, Aizawa."

"You seriously think you can just walk into Tartarus and kill someone? You could never get inside, let alone out without getting caught!"

"That's why I called you! You know how to get into places like Tartarus! You can help me kill someone who's doomed the earth for generations! Isn't that what a hero's supposed to do?"

Aizawa stood from his seat on the couch. He couldn't sit still through this. "Yagi, I offered my help for your attacks, not this. Never this." He was having a hard time thinking straight.

The lights flickered as Yagi glared. A threat. "Are you going back on your deals, Aizawa? I knew you liked to lie to your students but I thought you could at least keep your promises."

It sounded too much like Yagi, but the logic wasn't there. This wasn't Yagi, just a corrupted shell of him. Yagi was probably dead. "You're not Yagi." He turned his eyes on the taller male, ready to activate his quirk at any time.

Yagi stood as well, but he was entirely calm. "No. I suppose I'm not. At least, I'm not the old Yagi. That frail, weak and naive version of me lost his battle. I'm the winning Yagi. The Yagi that can do what it takes to better humanity."

"Better humanity?! You killed an innocent woman!"

"She's better off dead." Was his only response.

Aizawa had had enough. He activated his quirk and threw his capture weapon at the tall villain. Just in time to stop his Darkness quirk. His weapon wrapped several times around Yagi's torso, restraining him easily. He might have increased strength, but he wasn't All Might. He wouldn't be able to break the metal of his weapon.

That didn't seem to be a problem for Yagi. Aizawa couldn't react fast enough to stop the second quirk from taking effect. Blue electricity ran down the line of metal, engulfing Aizawa with a high charge, enough to made him shout in pain. When the shock ended, he fell to the floor, his entire body numb. He couldn't breathe, couldn't hear. His vision was filled with spots, but he could see Yagi lean over him, a maddened smile on his face. Pressure increased somewhere in his chest, but he wasn't sure why. He couldn't feel anything. That evil face came closer, enough for Aizawa to smell his breath. He smelled like cold tea.

"-atch your back, Aizawa. You've just made a powerful enemy."

Yagi's face disappeared from his view and feeling slowly came back. All he knew was when he could finally get up, Yagi was long gone. The body remained in the bathroom, but the heart was gone. Aizawa didn't want to think of the things Yagi planned to do with it.

He had to call for help. This was much worse than he dared to think.

Author's Notes: I might not post as often over the holidays because of the busyness and I have a lot of stories to write. Sorry for making you wait for the next chapter, but enjoy this one at least.


	13. Chapter 13

Toshinori found another home to take over. This time, he hid the body underneath the porch. He couldn't have anyone finding it this time. He was also at a loss for what to do. His perfect asset had decided to betray his trust. No matter. He still had a few tricks up his sleeve. And by tricks, he meant someone who would do anything for him. His number one fan.

Finding Izuku alone was a hard enough task. The boy lived at UA and Nezu had made it clear that he wasn't welcome there anymore. So, he devised a plan. He sent Izuku a text on Friday night to meet him at their beach Saturday morning. He wanted to tell Izuku the whole and total truth for his leaving. That would be more than enough to get him to come. The simple fact that he asked would've been enough.

Toshinori didn't bring his computer to the beach. He didn't even wear his suit. Instead, he decided to use nostalgia to his aid. He wore a plain, but baggy, white shirt and cargo pants. If he looked like the old Yagi, Izuku would be more likely to agree. But, Toshinori needed Izuku to more than agree. He needed his loyalty as well, and that's where his desperate act fell into place. If he was pitiable, then the boy would help him.

Toshinori could see Izuku walk onto the sand, looking around the horizon for him. He gave the boy a few minutes before walking out of his hiding spot behind a tree. Izuku immediately saw him, several emotions rolling over his expressions. First, he was surprised, relieved. Then, he looked scared, then guilty. Right. They had not ended on good terms. Well, that would only help his case. If he could guilt Izuku into doing this, then all the better.

"My boy." Toshinori made a point of slouching more than usual and released his strength booster quirks, letting the pain take place. It helped his act seem more genuine. He gave a loud cough, wiping the blood away.

"All Might." Izuku looked at him with a fixed look. "What...what did you want to meet me about?"

A stupid question. What didn't he have to meet Izuku about? Honestly, had UA lowered Izuku's brilliance over the short time he'd been gone? He hoped that wasn't the case. He needed that brilliance. "I...wanted to apologize, first and foremost. I had no right to get upset with you for your...shock. You're young and allowed to feel upset, especially about something so sudden like that."

"I don't regret the things I said, but I shouldn't have yelled. I'm sorry, All Might." Tears threatened to roll down his cheeks.

A hand came down on his shoulder and Toshinori risked a kind smile. "My boy, all if forgiven." That should ease him enough to talk freely, but he knew the guilt wouldn't completely leave. The boy was just like him in that way. Or at least like his older self.

"Um...is there anything else you wanted to say?"

For this, Toshinori knelt down to the boy's height and locked eyes. He gave him a serious look and tightened his grip on the boy's shoulder. "I want to tell you why I left UA." It seemed like Izuku hadn't even tried to cover his shock. He stayed quiet and waited patiently for Toshinori to start. Clearing his throat, he began his explanation. "I'm guessing you have some kind of idea where my quirks came from."

That didn't seem to be the question Izuku expected. "Um...yeah. The only person with the ability to give quirks it...One For All. That must've been where you got those quirks from. It wouldn't make sense any other way."

"Right you are. I gained them a little while after Kamino." Toshinori shifted to sit on the sand. "These quirks are dangerous, Izuku. They make me feel…" He gave a dramatic pause. "Like some kind of Nomu. Sometimes I forget things and time...skips. It's hard to explain, but it's...terrifying."

Izuku had tears rolling down his cheeks. Toshinori really wasn't surprised. The boy was not only prone to crying excessively, but he also was getting a front row seat to his beloved hero's nightmares. At least, what he thought was a nightmare. "All Might." he sobbed weakly and wrapped his small arms around his teacher's thin form.

Toshinori returned the embrace, pulling him in closer. The voices told him to squeeze until the boy stopped moving. They told him to choke Izuku and leave him a mess of blood. He wanted to give in, but he couldn't. This was his last chance. If Izuku didn't agree, than he was a sitting duck. He needed Izuku. "I couldn't trust myself, Izuku. What if I accidentally hurt…" He physically shuddered, which earned another wave of sobs from his successor.

"All Might...I'm sorry. I didn't know-I didn't even think! I should've known you wouldn't just leave without a good reason." The boy hiccuped between sentences and they grip on each other grew stronger.

Toshinori didn't speak for a long while, letting the pity and sorry fully sink in before he gave any ounce of hope. "I know how to fix this, Izuku." He whispered it, so soft, he could barely hear himself say it. At first, he wondered if Izuku even heard it, but when the boy gasped and pulled away, he knew he had. The look on his face was too determined to not be the case.

"You-you do?!" He wiped at his tears and sniffed wetly. Then, his attention was back on his mentor. "How?!"

"I have to send the source of this. I have to finally end All For One." He completely dropped his act. He no longer hunched over to appear to be in pain or help any sorrow for himself. He wanted Izuku to see just how serious he was.

"Wait...but All For One's in Tartarus. How are we supposed to...end this at the source if our source is unreachable."

"That's where you come in, My boy. You have the skills to get inside, I know it!" When Izuku looked ready to protest, he held onto those tiny, scarred hands and held them close to his beating heart. "Izuku, I'm literally dying. If I don't end this now, I might...I might end up as one of his monsters." He snapped, anger boiling in his chest.

Izuku didn't respond for a while before he gave a slow nod. "I'll do it. I have to…" His gaze met the retired hero's. "I have to save you, All Might."

Toshinori gave a kind smile and rubbed the leftover tears from the boy's face. "Thank you, My boy. You're the best kind of hero."

…

Everyday, Izuku visited Toshinori's new home after school. Even though the students and teachers lived in the school's dorms, he was able to leave for "family emergency" purposes. It didn't really matter to Toshinori how Izuku managed to get out of that freak show, just as long as he did.

By the three day point, they had made amazing progress, the technology problems being easily solved and, apparently, Izuku knew quite a bit about finding illegal footage online. The boy said it was simply a result of his fanboying, but Toshinori knew it must have been something more. No one hacked into accounts and knew all of the best places to find information for hero research. Perhaps he'd really get the stories once All For One was dead.

On the fourth day, they had a date and time for their operation. That was also around the time Izuku started giving a nervous look. Toshinori didn't pay it much mind. The boy was free to feel however he wanted about the man. Izuku wasn't the one trying to fight off these urges to murder, no matter how refreshing they were.

"Through this entrance, I'll be able to use Static to deactivate the security and cause a major power outage. Then, you'll keep watch while I find and kill All For One." Toshinori pointed on their makeshift map as he spoke. He gave Izuku the job of keeping watch in case the situation went unexpected. Or, if the boy got overly emotional and took his kill. If that were to happen, Toshinori would have to see to it that both of them died. It wasn't sinister, simply logical. It's rude to take a man's kill.

Izuku gave him a nervous look. "Isn't this entrance better?" He pointed to the very front entrance. The absolute worst one to pick from.

"How do you suppose that?" He crossed his arms over his chest and sat back, fixing the boy with a skeptical glare. Was he trying to ruin his plan? If so, then he'd had to cut the boy's throat. Just the thought of it made his heart beat with excitement. He wanted to. So badly.

"Well, as long as you get the security out in time, it won't matter which way you come in. This way, I'd have a better view of where you are and would also be able to tell if anyone is around. Besides, it would make a better scene. 'Retired Hero All Might Finally Kills His Long Time Nemesis." the boy waved his hand in the air nervously.

"I would prefer, "All Might Does His Last Service To Humanity.'" Toshinori gave a soft laugh, nudging the boy to signal he should follow along. When the boy didn't, his laughter died away. What was wrong with him? Permission jitters? Or was he no longer as dedicated to save his poor, defenseless mentor?

"I'm sorry, All might. I'm just so nervous. This will be my first mission like this, and I can't help but worry."

That made sense. The boy could be nervous. Toshinori was nervous about his first big mission like this. Of course, the situation was very, very different. "Don't worry, My boy. We've both worked too hard for this to fail. Trust me. If anything goes wrong, we can always try again." They really couldn't, but support would keep the boy loyal and quiet.

"Alright, All Might." The boy yawned and stood up shakily. Was he really so nervous that he was shaking? "I'm going to head home, but I'll come by tomorrow with everything we need." The boy walked stiffly to the door and gave an awkward smile before leaving. Toshinori didn't care how nervous Izuku was. As long as the mission ran smoothly, then Izuku could pee his pants for all he cared.

…

Everything had been perfect. Izuku brought the gear they needed, they set up their escape car easily and drove to wait for their time to strike. When the time finally, finally came, Toshinori got out, attached his quirk amplifiers and walked into the front entrance of Tartarus. One simple shock wave took out the entire block. A wider range then they had wanted, but it wasn't a problem.

The police officers at the front desk were completely immobilized by the wave of static. They laid on the ground, shaking like disgusting worms with streams of electricity running up and down their bodies. Toshinori easily stepped over them, pressing onto his goal. The guards who were mobile were too shocked to fully defend their workplace. With a switch of his knife, they fell and he pressed on.

His darkness quirk was only useful once he got into the main holding cells. That's where their bigger troubles started. The place was littered with guards and the place had a backup generator scheduled to come on in exactly three minutes. Of course, the generator that had been blown out didn't unlock the villain's cells. That generator laid in the basement, protected by a force field quirk.

With Darkness activated, Toshinori made his way down a flight of stairs to the basement. Izuku had been able to request a pair of goggles for his quirk from UA and man did they work like a charm. Everything moved in a dark tint of green and each step was crystal clear. As Toshinori descended, he couldn't help but feel like he should've left Izuku out of this mission. He put too much trust in the boy, but it was too late now.

The generator was bigger than any villain Toshinori had fought against as All Might. It hummed like an angry beast, seconds front destroying his life. The guard's field covered the entire thing and then some. It would be difficult to get past suck a defense, but they made preparations for this.

Tosinori pulled his fist back in a strength enhanced and electrified punch and landed it directly on the field. It waived, but he didn't stop to see the effect. He kept hitting and hitting it, upping the voltage each time. If he could overwhelm the guard, then the field would go down.

Right as Toshinori started to worry about the police arriving, the field flickered out and he guard fell to the floor. The communication device in his shirt was easy to rip out and crush under his foot. He made quick work of killing the man and destroyed the generator. The entire thing glowed a dark green from the effects of both his quirk and the goggles. Then, the side of it burst open and steam filled the room.

Toshinori walked back up the stairs and straight to his final destination. All For One's holding cell. The door was unlocked, as expected. When he walked in, he released his Darkness quirk and threw his goggles onto the floor. He could pick them up after he'd killed the villain.

"I have to say." The villain spoke. "I'm surprised. Never in all my years would I expect you to come into a place like this and risk setting us free. And here I thought you were a hero."

The mocking tone did nothing to Toshinori's mood. "If you're so smart, then you can probably guess why I'm here."

"Of course I do. You're here to beg, just like you did last time. You want answers and I refuse to give any. These quirks will turn you at one point or another and it's better to give in. I'm surprised you've even lasted so long."

Toshinori wanted to laugh. It felt good to be the winner. He stepped toward the glass and shattered it with his electricity. At that, the villain's smug smile faded. The view made the retired hero's gut twist with excitement. "You're wrong, All For One." A hand reached out and took hold of the pipe connected to the man's throat. He pulled it out roughly, a stream of blood flowing after. "I'm not here to beg." He pulled out another tub that caused the villain to gag and gasp for air. Toshinori unclasped the jacked and belts on the chair, letting the joke of a villain fall onto the cold floor.

"You-" All For One couldn't stop himself from suffocating. It looked so beautiful.

Toshinori crouched down to the other's level and gripped his weak little neck easily. The blood ran through his fingers. "I'm here to make you beg for life. I want to hear you plead for your life as it runs out." He hissed into the man's ruined ear. "Beg!" He tightened his grip.

All that came was another gag and Toshinori was done. The voices were getting too loud to ignore. He had to end this torture now. All four quirks activated at once, sending all of their energy into the hand holding the villain's throat. He squeezed it until it snapped, leaving him with a lifeless body. Toshinori stood up again and sighed. It was too easy. He had wanted to watch the man struggle for a little while longer.

The door behind Toshinori spammed open -when had it been closed?- and countless police officers flooded the scene. He watched in shock as three knocked him onto the floor and cuffed his hands. The others talked through the small devices on their ears or shouted orders into his ears.

"We got him down. He'll be sent out shortly."

"Move and I tase you!"

"I can't believe this is real…"

"I think the generator's busted."

Rough hands pulled Toshinori from the floor and marched him out of the floor. The blood stained their hands, but he couldn't seem to feel proud of that fact. Everything was too loud for him to focus. There were voices everywhere and he wasn't sure which ones were in his head and which weren't. Once they exited the front doors, his eyes were blinded by bright lights. He couldn't bring himself to close his eyes. He stared at each and every reporter that stood outside the prison door, mikes and cameras in tow. It was all so familiar to him, but this time, he wasn't trying to please them. He wasn't here to smile at them and give them false hope.

"Detective, tell us what happened here."

"Is that All Might?"

"Is it true that the person to call in the break in was a student from UA?"

"What can you confirm about the situation, Chef?"  
More voices roared at him and he couldn't hold his head. His arms pulled at the cuffs, but they wouldn't give. His quirks were useless but the voices didn't stop.

_They caught you. _

_You're going to die like All For One had. _

_What now, Hero?_

_Run! Run!_

Nothing made sense. He didn't feel it when the officers shoved him into the back of a police car and drove away. He didn't see anything until it was too late. Someone had shoved him into a white room, wrapped him onto a metal chair and left him there. He couldn't move or even think. The voices were still shouting at him to run, but he couldn't.

The only real thought he had over the entire event was that Nezu was right. He should've gone to the hospital.

Author's Notes: I'm sorry this chapter took so long to write. I couldn't quite get it the way I wanted, but now I'm happy. I'm sorry about the gross details, but It was needed.


	14. Chapter 14

Naomasa decided to interview Toshinori at the hospital instead of taking hi all the way to the police department. In all honesty, he hadn't stopped watching the news footage since it began airing. It was a shock to everyone, including himself. The call had come from Izuku Midoriya, who had been positioned on top of the building. Once the details were revealed, Naomasa decided to confront Toshinori himself about it.

"I understand that one of your students were involved, but this is also a very personal case." Naomasa tried to explain to the mouse-mammal thing for the third time.

"I understand your concerns, but I must insist."

The way he said it made it sound like there was simply no other option. Knowing Nezu, there likely wasn't one.

"Fine, but I will only let you ask one question. I can't have Toshinori shutting down on us." Naomasa didn't know how open his best friend was going to be in the first place. He didn't even know if this was his best friend anymore.

He opened the door to find Toshinori strapped to a metal chair. It was the most secure place in the hospital. The man himself had his head down, his two long bangs resting in his lap. Naomasa could easily see the blood on him though. They likely didn't want to clean away the evidence. That was fine by him

Instead of trying to draw Toshinori's attention, Naomasa searched the room for a chair. He would rather get set up then actually have to talk to the man in the chair. The rest of the room was like any other hospital room, excluding the bed and medical supplies that usually stood next to the patient. Or maybe he'd just seen Toshinori in the hospital too many times. Surely not everyone who came in needed three different IVs and a heart monitor. Yes, that must only be Toshinori.

Naomasa sat in a small chair made for visitors and let Nezu sit in his lap -he had forgotten the small mouse-thing had joined him. When Naomasa finally had everything he needed in order, he turned back to Toshinori. The man hadn't moved an inch, not that he really could. Those belts were made to hold All Might and in his weakened form, he had no chance of breaking them. Especially with the heavy quirk suppressors they had pumped into him over his short stay here.

"Hello, All Might." Naomasa started. The man didn't move. "I'm here to talk to you about the...incident that happened last night." He shifted and pulled out a few files. They held all the information he had gathered at the crime scene just this morning. All For One hadn't been the only one killed, but he was the only villain marked dead. "I would like to ask you some questions, if that's alright with you."

Toshinori didn't move and Nezu moved a bit to see is face. "All Might? I'm well aware you aren't asleep. It's rude to keep your guests waiting."

At that, a laugh echoed through the room. It wasn't the deep and full laugh Naomasa was used to hearing from the man. This one was breathy and weak. That was how he laughed after Kamino, when they told him he was forced into retirement. It was a laugh for his defeat.

Toshinori's head slowly raised until he fixed both of them with a hard look. His jaw was set and his eyebrows furrowed. It was a look Naomasa rarely saw on him, but knew he often face to doctors or particularly difficult coworkers. Even as All Might, he would slip a few glares at villains when he knew they weren't looking. Then, he'd go back to smiling. This time, though, he didn't smile.

"I can't imagine that I have a choice in whether you ask questions or not." His voice was careful, like many other villains would speak when being questioned.

"I guess not." Naomasa breathed and tried to focus. So much was different about him. He held no light in his eyes. Just as Naomasa was about to speak again, Toshinori moved his glaze to somewhere else in the room and hisses curses at nothing.

"Why am I here?" Toshinori asked calmly.

"You mean why are you at the hospital instead of the police station? Well,we would originally send you to Tartarus until we got more information, considering your quirks, but you just broke into Tartarus. This was the next best choice."

"Shut up!" He snapped and immediately looked back at the two integrator, as if nothing had happened.

This was starting to make sense now. Naomasa had seen this before and it usually ended the same. "Toshinori." He spoke with a demanding tone. "Can you tell me about the voices you're hearing?" Schizophrenia wasn't uncommon by any means, but in their quirk filled society, they weren't sure how to treat it. These weren't just quirks that could be easily suppressed and more times than not, these people didn't want help. The voices were a major problem with treatment which usually lead to self-medication and simply insane ideas and actions. Ideas like breaking into Tartarus and killing All For One. The craziest part it that he actually succeeded.

"The voices?" Toshinori asked, looking a bit irritated. "Do you want me to tell you about them or what they say? I can easily say that they whisper things to me, tell me what to do, what to feel. They warn me too. They said that the police would find me, take me away to a _sick_ hospital. Now look at me."

"Can you tell me what they've said to you during your preparation for breaking into Tartarus? Any extra information is helpful as well." Naomasa knew what he was getting into. He just hoped he had the strength to finish this as well. At least he had Nezu as a safety net.

Something softened in Toshinori's eyes. "I can't quite separate what they say during specific times, but they like to repeat." He turned his gaze to Nezu. "I mentioned the urges to you. They tell me to hurt people whenever I'm near them, but lately, I haven't really been trying to stop them. In all honesty, it was stupid to ignore them in the first place. It's nice to agree with them. Besides, I get to try new things when I listen."

"What do you mean by new things?" Naomasa started writing Toshinori's responses.

"Like the day I left UA. I killed that driver and it felt _blissful_. I really can't blame villains for it anymore. It was the most fun I've had in years. Maybe you could try it too! We could do it together!" The smile Toshinori gave them made Naomasa feel sick.

"Have you killed anyone else?"

Suddenly, Toshinori looked angry and sat back in his chair. "I don't think I'll answer that question."

Naomasa didn't expect this to be easy, but Toshinori could be especially difficult. Before he could do anything else, Nezu took the stage. "You do remember the warning I gave you back when you told me about the urges, right?" When Toshinori didn't respond, Nezu continued. "I said that if you threaten the safety of those in my school, I would send you to a mental hospital." The revelation shocked Naomasa. It wasn't unlike Nezu to do something like that, but the way he said it no longer seemed kind and loving. He wasn't pretending to please Toshinori anymore.

Toshinori scowled at that, but Nezu continued. "Not only did you nearly give one of my teachers a near heart attack, but you also continued to terrorize one of my students. Your successor of all people. The night before you two went to Tartarus, he told us about your plans. That poor boy was scared out of his wits. For that, I have to uphold my side of the promise."

Toshinori started breathing heavily but his scowl held. Naomasa tried to divert the tension with a different kind of question. He would have to talk to that teacher about this later on. "Can you tell me what the voices are telling you right now?"

Toshinori's voice went almost too low to hear. "Kill them. They're trying to hurt you. They'll put you in the mental hospital. We should've killed Izuku before going to Tartarus. Kill them. Kill them."

A shrill of dread ran up Noamasa's spine. This wasn't Toshinori anymore. This couldn't be. "You can stop now, Toshinori."

He didn't. He kept whispering "Kill them" over and over again. His eyes looked completely black with only a tiny dot of blue left. His gaze was fixed directly on Naomasa, the intent to do exactly what he was saying clear in his eyes. It made him fear for his life, even though the man was strapped to a chair.

Nezu jumped off of his lap and walked out of the room. Naomasa made to leave as well, the dread making him want to run far away from this place. Just before he left, Toshinori started writhing in his restraints and screamed the two words over and over again. He was too weak to break the belts, but he looked completely insane in trying to do it. It wasn't Toshinori anymore. That was a monster.

With that, Naomasa left the room, building and avoided that entire side of town like the plague.

…

Nezu made true on his promise, indeed. In court, he spoke easily, convincing the judge to put that thing in a mental hospital. No one had argued. With Tartarus momentarily closed, they had been forced to do the same to many other villains, so adding whatever that thing was made complete sense. The case only lasted three hours. It was a record.

Over the next week, Naomasa talked to Aizawa, which just proven Nezu's point further. The scene described made even the detective sick. Both that incident and the interrogation with Toshinori gave him nightmares that left him unable to work. He had been the one to review the driver's murder and he had thought it was yet another car crash. The only indication Toshinori had been there was the box of office supplies and Naomasa assumed the man wasn't at the hospital because he was a stubborn person.

He suggested therapy to Izuku's mother, who gladly agreed. Watching someone they love go through something so terrible is cause enough for therapy. The boy also got a few days off of school and a free pass on assignments from Aizawa and Nezu.

The video of Toshinori being taken from the Tartarus, covered in blood, went viral all over the news and internet. Naomasa couldn't get a break from it and when anyone asked him what had happened to All Might, he simply said it was classified information. He would have to wait until Might Tower decided to reveal information, but without All might himself there to give the word, nothing would be released. Soon enough, the media began building theories and the truth came out. All might was no longer mentally healthy and too dangerous to be in society. The shock that passed over Japan, if not the entire world, left everyone sober. It was worse than after Kamino.

All Might had created a world of peace of justice but ripped it apart with his own bloody hands.

Author's Notes: that's right, this was a Villain AU this entire time! This is also the last chapter! Thank you everyone for reading and I'm sorry again for the gory stuff. If anyone had questions, please ask and I will give the best answer I can.


End file.
